Talking Caste: Jignesh Mevani, Prakash Ambedkar and Bezwada Wilson
The Quint spoke to Jignesh Mevani, Prakash Ambedkar and Bezwada Wilson about India’s new anti-caste movement.
Several dalit organisations from states across India came under the banner of the Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh rally to formally launch a national level movement.
Leaders from left organisations also joined the rally on Friday at New Delhi’s Parliament Street.
Prakash Ambedkar, Sitaram Yechury, Jignesh Mevani, Bezwada Wilson were among the prominent speakers at the rally.
We caught up with Prakash Ambedkar right after he finished his speech. We asked him about why the Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh Samiti is shying away from a direct political role. Prakash Ambedkar said his socio-religious movement is aimed at making people aware of their choices when they vote in the 2019 general election.
Jignesh Mevani, who spearheaded the ‘Una Chalo! march on 15 August in Gujarat, called on dalits to protest against the RSS’ plans to conduct a ‘shastra pooja’ in UP. “Bhim ke rath ko aage badhane ke liye, humein rail rath ko rokna padega”, Mevani said to announce a massive Rail Roko protest on 1 October.
He called on protesters to buy tickets en masse and pull the chain to stop the train when on board. He also announced a massive protest rally at Delhi’s Ram Leela Maidan on 27 November.
Magsaysay awardee and leader of the Safai Karamchari Andolan Bezwada Wilson called the Swachh Bharat campaign a hypocritical one, saying building toilets without thinking about who cleans them exposes the present government as a promoter of the caste-system.
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