The Struggle for the cause of SC/ST- A  synopsis of  sequence of important events

 The All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations was formed in the month of October 1997.  It was primarily formed to get the anti reservation orders repealed which were issued in the year 1997 and restore the original position whereby members of the SC/ST get the benefits of reservation which were conferred on them by our framers of the Constitution.  Thus the very purpose of forming the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations was to restore the original position of the Constitution so that the intent and spirit of the Constitution  is maintained.

            At the outset itself it was realised that nothing short of taking our agitation to the streets and fighting for our cause to the tooth and nail would enable us to achieve the purpose.  We had seen sufficient indoor meetings/discussions/submission of memoranda and seminars, but they were of no avail.  Believing in mass movement and direct struggle made us to call for a rally at New Delhi on 26^th November 1997,  which was participated  by more than one lakh  employees and officers.  This shook the citadels of dalit activities and created jealousy.  Unfortunately these anti-reservation orders were issued during the regime of the  United Front Government.   We made lot of protests reminding them to bear  the posture of social justice, yet to no use.  

            After about six  months, the new Government headed by Mr.Atal Behari Vajpayee took office in April 1998.  Our demands were presented to the new Government, but we were told that they were not responsible for the acts of the previous Government.   We intensified our struggle while forming the units of Confederation throughout the country in order to expedite the agitation/struggle.    On the other hand, an appeal was made to the Dalit politicians to take up our cause with the Government and as a consequence, a  debate on the floor of the Lok Sabha for 8 hours took place on 4^th August 1998, yet to no avail.  We met the Hon’ble President of India also in this connection in the month of February and again in July 1998,who took it  up with the PMO, but the Department of Personnel & Training mischievously misguided the PMO and in turn the PMO without taking much pain and without applying their mind to the facts of the case, merely forwarded it to the office of the President of India.

            This was enough to conclude that without direct participation of the masses in the movement, nothing fruitful would come out.  In these circumstances we planned  a massive rally on  16^th November 1998 in which about 5 lakh employees and officers participated.  A delegation also met the Prime Minister at his residence on 13^th November 1998 and had a long discussion with him and he assured to redress our grievances, but nothing was done.  With a  view to sensitize the mind of the dalit parliamentarians we organised a get together on 10^th December, 1998  in which 37 of them took part and avowed to fight for our cause on the floor of the Lok Sabha.  This resolution was translated by them on the floor of the Lok Sabha on  the17^th and 18^th March 1999, and on the same day the Prime Minister promised to withdraw the anti reservation orders.   Meanwhile,  the Lok Sabha went for recess and on its resumption no-confidence was table and the PM reiterated the assurances while laying down his office.    At the same time we kept on meeting leaders of various political parties and because of this, some of them mentioned our grievances in their election manifesto.  Due to this, all Dalit MPs came together on the floor of the Lok Sabha and perhaps this happened  for the first time in history.  Even in the case of  massacres, such seriousness was not witnessed in the Lok Sabha.

            After  the formation of the 13^th Lok Sabha, we met the PM again to stress our objectives, but to no avail.   With a view to draw the attention of the Dalit MPs, we again organised a get together on 21^st October 1999 in which 57 of them participated.  Similar appeals were made to them again.   With a view to launch a decisive battle, we organised a maha rally at Delhi on 13^th December 1999  in which about 8-10 lakhs officers and employees participated.  This rally was addressed by many political leaders like Shri Buta Singh (Congress), Smt. Brinda  Karat and Moh. Saleem (CPI-M) Surender Mohan (Janata Dal) Dr. Krishnaswamy (Pudiya Tamilagam) Mr. Dalit Ezhilmalai, Ex Minsiter,  Chandrajit Yadav (Congress) Syed Sahabudeen, Sri Ram Das Athwale, MP,  Sri Prakash Ambedkar, MP,  Sri R.S. Gavai and Prof. Jogender Kawade (RPI), Mr. Aman Kumar Nagra, (BSP) etc.

            The Department of Personnel & Training is bent upon misconstruing the Supreme Court judgment and because of that such orders have come.  Even the judiciary is not behind in  the game and this  can be observed  by the judgment that  was given in the case of Super Specialisation Courses (Medical and Engineering) on 10^th August 1999 while nullifying Article 15(4) of the Constitution.  The Supreme Court said that this Article is against the interests of the nation, hence it should go. Is it not an act of making a new Constitution?  The Supreme Court again gave a judgement on 16^th September 1999 challenging Reservation  as a fundamental right.  The attitude of the Supreme Court can be gauged by the famous Mandal judgement which was against the Dalit reservation, though the Dalits were not made party to it. 

            The Government has introduced a Bill in the Rajya Sabha on 22^nd December 1999 proposing to make a change in Article 335 which will restore the benefit of lesser standard of evaluation for Dalit employees in deptt. Examinations etc.  We are not satisfied with this measure.  Our struggle persists in more vigorous form like organising rallies in all the States so that it becomes an issue of  the Dalit masses. We organised a rally of about 1 lakh in Haryana on 30.1.2000 followed by other rallies in Tamil Nadu on 18^th February 2000 ,  13^th March 2000 in Maharashtra and 26^th March in UP and  such rallies are going to be organised in other states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar in the coming months.  In addition to it, we had organised West Bengal State level public meetings on 6^th February 2000, Western UP public meetings on 29^th February 2000, Allahabad Mandal public meetings on 5^th March 2000 and Delhi State level public meetings on 7^th March 2000.  In  the Delhi public meeting leaders of various political parties like Sri V.P. Singh, former Prime Minister, Capt. Jay Narayan Prasad Nishad, (former Minister and MP – Samata Party),  Ram Das Athwale, MP(RPI), Sri Rabi Ray, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha participated and avowed to fight for our cause.  Shri V.P. Singh made  a commitment to fight for our cause throughout the country. He is going to share our platforms on 14^th May 2000 in Bhopal.

            In the rally at Lucknow the Congress leaders Sri Buta Singh and Sri Salman Khurshid  participated and the Chairman of the Confederation Mr.Ram Raj asked them in public that when the Congress could stall parliamentary proceedings for many days on the transfer issue of Vishnu Bhagwat, then why not such an action for the 25  crore dalits was adopted. This worked like magic and Smt.Sonia Gandhi demanded withdrawal of anti-reservation orders on the 27^th March 2000.  Responding to this, the Union Cabinet decided to restore the special recruitment drive on 29^th March 2000 while amending the Constitution suitably.  We welcome this but we are for the enactment of the Reservation Act which will finally allow the proper implementation of reservation in its real spirit and will stop the interference of the judiciary.

1^st November, 2001.

Udit Raj (Ram Raj).