A BJP candidate, who happens to be a Dalit, goes to the homes of voters to campaign but makes it a point to sit on the floors and carry his own tea cup to the houses of the upper-caster voters, as Times of India reports.
Why does he carry his own steel mug? Because if he touches the utensils at other people’s homes, they will become “impure”. This comes in an age where removing casteism is the motto of each party.
Amit Shah, the national president of BJP, recently participated in a sit-down lunch “sah bhoj”, with Dalits across the state of UP to ingrain the message of equality that his party supposedly preaches.
Rajvir Diler is a candidate from Iglas, which is just 300 kms away from Delhi and it is not difficult to understand why he is averse to breaking the caste barriers. His constituency is Jat dominated with about 90,000 of them, who will decide the winner.
While many other Dalits in the state also show ‘respect’ to the upper castes, Diler takes it a step ahead by using his own glass and sitting on the floor, calling it a "paramparagat aadat" (family custom).
In his 40s, Diler also touches the feet of the Jat pradhan Mohan Singh, who happens to be years younger than him.
Main aapke pair padhta hun, mujhe meri galti to batao. Main ek gaon ka chowkidar bannna chahta hun, vidhayak nahin. (I beg of you, tell me what my fault is. I want to be a security guard, not a politician.)Rajvir Diler
Mohan who controls 4,500 votes says things are different this time around, saying that Ajit Singh, whose party RLD identifies with Jats, has also fielded a Dalit.
Diler is adamant to stay shackled in the caste system, saying that he is the son of Valmiki and he doesn’t want to change, even if the world around him does.
Valmiki is among the lowest among the lowest in Dalit caste hierarchy and Diler inherited the “tradition” from his father Kisen Lal, a five-term MLA and one-time MP.
Diler's supporters say people of all castes love him for his desire to remain steeped in discriminatory casteist practices.
Source: The Times of India