‘Change in public mindset must for Dalits’ social progress’: Governor Rajendra Arlekar

Governor inaugurates Dalit Progress Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram, organised as part of 15th anniversary fete of Chennithala’s ‘Gandhigramam’ project

Governor Rajendra Arlekar interacts with Padma Shri awardee Lakshmikutti Amma at the Dalit Progress Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The country’s biggest failure even after eight decades of independence is that no one has taken the progress of dalits and backward communities seriously, Governor Rajendra Arlekar said on Sunday.

He was inaugurating the one-day Dalit Progress Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram, organised as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations of Ramesh Chennithala’s ‘Gandhigramam’ project.

“Social progress can only be achieved if the mindset of the people changes. It is because this change has not occurred that the social progress of dalit communities in the country still remains distant. B R Ambedkar was one of the greatest visionaries the country has ever seen. However, his birth anniversary is celebrated only by dalit communities in India. This needs to change. Every Indian should celebrate it,” Arlekar said.

Presiding over the function, Chennithala pointed out that landlessness is the biggest issue faced by dalit and tribal communities. He said plantations whose lease periods have expired should be reclaimed and distributed to the landless.

“Over the past 15 years, the ‘Gandhigramam’ activists have sought to understand the issues faced by dalit colonies by spending every New Year among these communities. The Dalit Conclave is a continuation of this initiative. The opinions emerging from this session will be submitted to the state and Union governments for further action,” he said.

In his keynote address, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said, with the introduction of KIIFB projects, dalit and tribal communities lost crores of rupees from their allocated funds. He claimed the state’s dalit and tribal communities have been the biggest victims of the KIIFB initiative implemented by the Left government.

He further alleged that by cutting down on allocations, crores of rupees meant for the uplift of these communities were lost. He stressed on the need for a new ‘Kerala model’ that integrates dalit and tribal communities into the mainstream.

Prakash Ambedkar, dalit movement leader and B R Ambedkar’s grandson, said dalits in India must be freed from mental enslavement. He insisted that funds allocated for dalit development should not be diverted to other purposes and called for a special banking system to support dalit entrepreneurship, suggesting that 95% of loans should be provided with only 5% security.

Chidambaram MP Thirumavalavan emphasised that the term “dalit” is a unifying identity for the oppressed and should not be viewed as derogatory. Such a term is necessary to represent all marginalised communities collectively, he said.

Highlighting the historical atrocities faced by dalit and tribal communities, Telangana minister Dansari Anasuya said they had survived these challenges through unity and resilience.

The event also honoured Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh who has been elected to Parliament eight times and Padma Shri awardee Lakshmikutti Amma. Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani, J Sudhakaran and M R Thampan also addressed the gathering.

Courtesy : New Indian Express

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