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occurrence against Dalits who are in the neoliberal economic agenda, the number of
cattle industry. public jobs have decreased due to
Although the government is condemning the privatisation. This has resulted in many
violence against the Dalits, their efforts are Dalits losing their jobs.
not helping to bridge the gap. Instead, Prime Many Dalit Parties and Organisations have
Minister Narendra Modi and his government lost faith in the BJP led government. This
seem to be broadening it. In the 2017 was apparent in the Gujarat Legislative
Budget Plan, the massive scrapping of Assembly Election, 2017, where the BJP
provisions for Lower Castes was highlighted lost 16 seats compared to the last elections
by several analysts. According to the in Gujarat. This time around, they lost
National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights several seats in villages, where there are
(NCDHR), the budgetary allocations for the huge Dalit populations. This was in
Scheduled Castes - Scheduled Tribes as a accordance to the comments made by the
proportion to their populations, should have Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM)
been Rupees 91,386 crore and 47,276 crore convener, Jignesh Mevani. He said, “The
respectively. But the current allocations are strategy is simple and clear. I am not going
only 55% for the Dalits – Rs 52,393 crore to join Congress or any political party. The
and 66.5% for the Adivasis – Rs 31,920 aim is to defeat BJP. This time, a large
crore. However states not controlled by the section of the society has kind of decided to
BJP, such as Kerala and Tripura, have vote against BJP. There is unrest among
retained the budget plan that allocates in OBCs, Dalits, Patels, vyapari (traders) and
proportion to their population. These budget farmers.”
allocations are mainly used for educational If you look past every political, religious or
scholarships. Education has been a economic narrative, there is only one cold
propellant for equality amongst Dalits, but fact. The Dalit community are not treated
with the 2017 Budget Plan, it seems like the and looked at as equals. Whether it be the
number of Dalits in schools and colleges is violence against them, exclusion from jobs
going to decrease. The Dalits have also and schools or the general disdain they face
taken a hit in employment under the Modi in regular life. They need to be brought into
Government. Employment in the the society as equals and treated like equals.
government sector had provided a boost for ———————————————————
the well being of Dalits in previous years.
But with the government proposing a Quiet but fierce political activist Kehan Shetty is a lover
of all things current affairs, football and Pink Floyd.
