Skip to main content

Gujarat Dalit rail roko canceled "for now" following high alert in state: Govt allegedly "goes soft" on demands

Jignesh Mevani with Kanhaiya Kumar
By Our Representative
In a late night development, top Gujarat Dalit rights leader Jignesh declared he was “canceling” his highly-publicized rail roko (block the trains) agitation, which was to begin on October 1 at 10 am, at Maninagar, former state assembly constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad. Chain pulling was going to be one of the programmes of the rail roko.
In a statement, Mevani said, “Looking into the situation at the borders, and following talks with Gujarat home minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja, who showed his readiness to hold talks regarding our demands, we are canceling the rail roko agitation. We hope that the government will positively look into our just and reasonable demands.”
Earlier, in an effort to make the rail roko national, Mevani had announced that those who would participate would include Jawaharlal Nehru University students' leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Gandhian academic and Magsaysay awardee Sandip Pandey, film maker Anand Patwardhan, right to information activist and Magsaysay awardee Nikhil Dey, and Dalit rights scholar Dr Anand Teltumbde.
Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM), under whose banner the rail roko was to be organized, in a separate statement claimed that the state government had become “soft” to its demands and agreed to hold discussions on them following “long talks” with the government, the rail roko was being taken back.” RDAM added, the decision to withdraw the agitation had been taken “against the backdrop of high alert in the country”.
Interestingly, Pratik Sinha, the closest associate of Mevani, without once recalling “high alert”, said, following “conversation” with the government, RDAM was calling off rail roko “for now” following the state government “initiated contact with the conveners of RDAM this evening”.
He added, “The state government had multiple phone conversations with the conveners of RDAM and the government promised to look at the demands that RDAM has submitted in form of a memorandum and have table-top talks with them to negotiate the demands that RDAM has raised.”
Claiming that RDAM's “steadfastness” in its conviction “instilled a sense of fear in the government”, Sinha added, “The government was finally forced to initiate a dialogue on the eve of rail roko, more than a month after RDAM had submitted their demands.”
Earlier, in an interview with top national daily on Friday, Mevani had said, the government had left him with “no option”, and “unlike multiple calls for talks given to Patidars agitating for OBC status, Dalits’ demands and unrest have been totally ignored.”
“After three mega conventions (of Dalits), a 10-day march and numerous detentions, the government has not even once shown any sign of dialogue”, he had added.
To a question whether the demand for five acres land was unrealistic, Mevani said, “If not 5 acre, give us 3 or 2 acre. But there has to be some willingness for negotiations on their part (government).”
“If government land is not available, then the government should purchase it”, he said, adding, “Patidars were given financial package. The government announced 10% EBC quota. But our demands have been totally ignored.”
Mevani admitted, his call for Dalits to stop skinning cattle – a demand on which two major rallies and an Ahmedabad to Una march were organized – has been “only a partial success”. He agreed, “Many did not agree to the call and others resumed the work after a few days.”
Mevani announced his decision to make rail roko a national event on September 6, at a rally at Jantar Mantar, where, among others, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Dr BR Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar, currently Republican Party of India leader, were present.

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.