Patiala/ Chandigarh, 12th February – “2022 Punjab Elections are right at the doorstep and yet, none of the Political parties have initiated a dialogue or released any substantial document regarding the welfare of the 35% population of Punjab, the Scheduled Castes community.” This was the collective message given out during the public meeting organized in Patiala by the National Scheduled Castes Alliance, a socio-political organization striving to highlight the issues of atrocities and social discrimination against the dalit population in the state.
The meeting was presided over by Paramjit Singh Kainth, President of the NSCA. Not mincing his words, he laid verbal blows on all the Political parties and their leaders for ignoring the matters which concern the SC community, during the Election campaigning for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. He said, “While reading the specifics of the Punjab Model, 11 Point Agenda, ‘Sankalp Patars’ and Ikrarnamas, there is not enough attention given to any issue related to the Scheduled Castes community whether it be the Post-Matric Scholarship scam or securing 1/3rd Shamlat Land for SC’s in villages, highlighting and providing a solution to the incidents of social boycott in villages or instances of sexual and physical violence against the poor in the community. All they are handing out are freebies and promises for equality and progress, while not managing to provide a single roadmap on how welfare of the SCs will be brought about.”
There was a sense of outrage evident from the speeches during the meeting, where every speaker had one theme in common and that was the utter ignorance shown by the political parties towards almost 1/3rd of the population of the state whose votes are the only thing politicians fight for and not for their rights and liberties. The National Scheduled Castes Alliance had conducted an online survey since February 5th for the public to respond (voted upon by ~2100 people) and the issues which were most pressing for the community included Proper implementation of the Post Matric Scholarship scam, Strict rules and punishments against social boycott, discrimination and violence against the SCs, Ensure proper implementation of MGNREGA and assuring 1/3rd Village Commond Land for SCs, the issue of Fake SC certificates also featured hugely and a share of the survey sample also demanded the resolution of the Tughlaqabad Guru Ravidass Mandir issue.
Speaking regarding the upcoming elections, Mr. Kainth said, “We shall now be initiating a program to communicate and meet the leading figures of each and every Political party in Punjab so as to bring to their cognizance, the kind of disappointment and anger that the SC community has against these parties for not issuing a special plan for the welfare of the Dalits. The stand-up and start-up India schemes of the Central Government have also failed in Punjab and it is also one of the reasons why unemployed youth are rejected by the private and govt’ run banks for granting loans to start a business venture, these schemes deserve a second version being announced which is based on the demographics of Punjab. We shall also ask the Union Government to increase the income eligibility slab for the Post Matric Scholarship to be raised to Rs. 8 lakhs from the present Rs. 2.5 lakhs. The Punjab Government, whichever party forms it, our demand will be to resolve the issues we’ve highlighted within the first cabinet meeting and proper implementation should be evident within the first 6 months of the new government. Major of these demands is that strict action be taken against the Educational Institutions which have been found guilty in the Post-Matric Scholarship scam and who have disrupted the lives of students even before the pandemic struck.”
“We represent a population of people who have been left out to hang in limbo regarding realization of their rights but whose votes these parties require to create a government in the State. Our mission from now on is to demand that these Political parties and their leaders bring out their own SC specific agendas or documents on which the community can later hold them accountable after elections if they continue the theme which has been going on since 1966 (formation of Punjab) of ignorance and not heeding to any demands of the SCs.” said Kainth.
