Archives for August 2018

The Congress on Monday accused the government of having brought the bill to restore the stringent provisions of the Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribes law after a lot of delays and that it did so now fearing a loss in elections.

“It has taken a lot of time to bring the legislation forward. I welcome the Bill and support it,” Leader of the party Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Lok Sabha while initiating a discussion on the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018.

He said the Supreme Court judgment in March had diluted the original Act, which Dalits around the country understood as “injustice”.

In the March judgment, the Supreme Court had struck down the provision that ensured the automatic arrest of a person charged with atrocities under the SC-ST law and also made it clear that any arrest of a government servant should be cleared by the competent authority and a civilian by an officer of the deputy superintendent of police.

“Protests took place across the country. People went to the jail and a lot of properties were damaged,” the Congress leader from Karnataka said.

He said the restoration of the provisions of the original law could have been done through an ordinance earlier.

“The Bill was nullified by the Supreme Court in March this year. And in the last four months, six ordinances were brought by the government. The government brought the ordinance to help the corporate companies first but did not bring the ordinance to stop injustice to over 24 percent of the population of the country. They could have brought the seventh ordinance also,” he said.

“The government thought that if we don’t bring this Bill now then we shall have to face its heat in the election,” he alleged.

Kharge said that even the dalit MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had brought pressure on the government.

“Why didn’t you bring this Bill earlier? The Congress protested against the SC order on March 27, 2018 before the Gandhi statue in Parliament. If the answers were given four months ago, then this injustice to Dalits would not have happened,” he said.

Kharge said cases registered against the dalits who were part of the agitation on April 2 and 3 should be withdrawn and the protesters who were still in jail should be immediately released, he said.

He also said that the SC-ST law must be included in the ninth schedule of the Constitution.

Kharge also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that though he spoke about Kabir Das, from inside he believes in Manusmriti.

“The Prime Minister speaks about Kabir Das, (Dr B.R.) Ambedkar. He remembers Basavanna in Karnataka but inside you believe in Manu,” Kharge alleged.

Quoting Ambedkar, Kharge said, “I want all people to be Indians first, Indians last and nothing but Indians. And it was Congress who supported Ambedkar and his cause.”

Targeting right wing forces over attacks on dalits across the country, he said amidst objections from BJP members, “On the one hand you want to unite Hindus but on the other hand you are ill-treating the dalits. A person cannot have moustache, cannot ride a horse. He will be flogged, won’t be allowed to use public well…”

“You won’t understand till you were born in my caste,” he countered.

Pointing to the rise in the attacks against SC and ST people, Kharge said, according to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), atrocities against Dalit are recorded every 15 minutes. “Eleven Dalits are killed every week and six Dalit women are sexually abused every day,” he said.

He also said that in the last four years there has been a rise of 35-40 per cent in atrocities against Dalits.

Slamming Union Road Transport and Shipping Minister over his reported remarks ‘where are jobs’, Kharge said, “No jobs? As many as 24 lakh government jobs are lying vacant.”

Kharge was referring to the Gadkari’s statement on Sunday that reservation will not guarantee employment as jobs are shrinking.

“About 10.10 lakh vacancies are there for elementary school teachers, 4.5 lakh vacancies for police, 2.4 lakh vacancies in railways, 64,000 vacancies in armed forces, 65,000 vacancies in para military forces, etc.”

“If Gadkariji asks from where the government should bring employment, then the government should fill the 24 lakh vacancies in the government jobs,” he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy from the post of party’s state unit chief, replacing him with adaguru H Vishwanath, who belongs to the backward Kuruba community.JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda on Sunday relieved his son

The decision to appoint H Vishwanath is seen as an apparent move to widen the social base of JDS, which is considered a party of Vokkaligas.

Kuruba is the third numerically stronger community in the state after Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

Speculations were rife for the last fortnight that the party leadership was mulling relieving HD Kumaraswamy, heading the JDS-Congress coalition government in the state, from the dual responsibility, and H Vishwanath was the first choice.

“I will take along senior party leaders, office-bearers, and workers… and live up to the expectations of the party leadership,” H Vishwanath told reporters here after his appointment.

H Vishwanath, a former Congress leader, had joined the JDS ahead of the assembly elections in May last.

A former MP and three-time MLA, H Vishwanath is considered a master strategist.

Replying to a query he said he would draw up a strategy for the local urban body elections and next general elections in consultation with HD Devegowda, Kumaraswamy and other seniors.

He also emphasised on strengthening the party base in North Karnataka as there have been allegations that the JDS is restricted to a few districts including Ramanagar, Mandya, Mysuru and Hassan.

H Vishwanath, a close friend of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, was instrumental in bringing him to Congress.

Later, his relations with Siddaramaiah soured after a public spar and he quit Congress to join JDS.

Asked whether he was appointed to take on Siddaramaiah, he said it was meaningless because Siddaramaiah himself grew in JDS and nobody could think of anything adverse about him.

Maharashtra BJP MP Heena Gavit on Monday demanded a probe into the attack on her vehicle by over 200 pro-Maratha reservation protesters outside the Dhule Collectors office.

“I was attacked by over 200 people when I was traveling from Dhule. And only four police personnel were there. My party workers rescued me,” the Nandurbar MP told the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.

“Some 15-20 people were arrested but later let-off,” she said. The Bharatiya Janata Party member also wanted to know whether she was targeted for being tribal.

Demanding suspension of the Superintendent of Police for not taking action against the 200 protesters who attacked her vehicle, Gavit showed the photographs of the attack and that the culprits were garlanded.

The incident took place on Sunday when Gavit was emerging from an official meeting at the Dhule Collector’s office.

The protesters are demanding reservations in government jobs and education for the Maratha community in Maharashtra.