Caste - wise budget allotment to caste-based economic planning ensures social justice
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Bangalore: The release of the Kannada translation of the Editor's book, Caste - A Nation Within the Nation, here on June 11 at a well-attended meeting of Dalits and Backwards helped remove lot of confusion on the subject of caste.

The book, which won the LISA International Award in London, was released by V.R. Sudarshan, chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, belonging to the Backward Ganiga (oil-crushing) jati. He said caste could not be wished away as it had become a determining factor in all aspects of our life. Dr. L. Hanumanthaiya, MLC and a Madiga (Chamar) leader, said the "caste identity" theory propounded by V.T. Rajshekar was "nothing but a liberation identity". The most important message of the book was that all the victims of caste system have started asserting and also saying that they were not Hindu, he said fully supporting the thesis of the book.

He also supported the Editor's demand for caste-based budget allotment.

CASTE-BASED BUDGET

J. Srinivasan, president of the Karnataka Backward Castes Federation, said he was proud of his caste (fishermen). He announced that his Federation would hold a one-day seminar here on V.T. Rajshekar's book.

Ms. Shobha Ramachandran, editor and publisher of the book, Books for Change, said the book had created a publishing history and also won an international award in London.

Dr. Banjagere Jayaprakash (shepherd), who translated the book into Kannada, said only by strengthening our caste identity we could rescue social justice which would in turn lead to economic justice.

Mavalli Shankar, president of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Untouchable-Holeya), said he fully supported the thesis of the book and said every jati in the society could come up only by strengthening its caste. Dr. Ambedkar called for caste annihilation of only the Hindu castes and not of the non-Hindu SC/ST/BCs.

CYCLE CHAIN

V.T. Rajshekar, author of the book, said he wrote the book after a considerable thinking over the steps to destroy Brahminism for over ten years. A jati was just like the link in the long cycle chain. The cycle could move smoothly only if all the links of the chain were well-oiled and well maintained. Now, only a couple of links (jatis) were well kept and the rest rusting. That was how the cycle (the society) was not moving forward. Rather, the cycle was being pushed backward.

It was not possible for us to fight and destroy Brahminism as the media and the state power were the monopoly of the upper castes (Hindus). Not only the SC/ST/BCs have been Hinduised but even Christians, Sikhs and Muslims are getting Hinduised. Since fighting Brahminism would be a waste of time and energy as the injection of Hinduism had gone deep into every human body, the best and the easiest way would be to dismantle Brahminism by strengthening every jati. All those jatis which had gone up and became the ruling class took only this route. There was no other route.

HOME-MADE MEDICINE

Caste had become a fact of life. Parliamentary democracy was strengthening the castes, leading to caste-based political parties. We have to extend caste from politics to administration, economic planning, judiciary, media and all other sectors of life.

"Everybody is born into a caste. And hence everybody knows what is caste. We need not go in search of a medicine for the gravest illness killing this country. The medicine (caste) is right within your house itself. Use this home-made medicine and the disease will be cured and the patient saved", he said amid cheers.

CASTE-WISE CENSUS

Everything in India is caste-based but today the upper castes are monopolising all the sectors. Once we strengthen our respective jati and mobilise our jati, then it will help the weaker jatis to compete and fight for the fruits of the society.

If certain castes have lagged behind it is not because they are poor but because they belong to certain particular castes. If we take a caste-wise census of the "poor" people, we will get the shocking picture of only the "lowest castes" left behind. That is why the upper caste rulers are opposed to caste-wise census enumeration. However, the Karnataka Govt. has for the first time launched caste-wise census. And you can take it from me there will be shocks galore.

The govt. officials who are in charge of implementing "development schemes" eat away part of the funds and thereby develop themselves. Rarely the funds reach the tail-enders. Just as justice is delayed and hence denied to the havenots, who are "lower castes", development funds have also not reached these sections. The one and the only solution is to put the funds in the hands of the leaders of havenot (lower) castes (caste associations) and make them implement the schemes. LOVE OF JATI

"I admit these caste leaders will eat away a portion of the funds but I assure that will not be more than 10% as they love their jati. There is better democracy within a jati".

The schemes with the Govt. of India and the states are in hundreds and the funds plenty but the havenots got reduced to have-nothing in the course of the last 60 years of Indian "independence" which made the upper caste stronger, more aggressive - if not violent.

The Editor said he was writing another book extending the "caste identity" theory to economics. Budget preparations and economic planning too must be caste-based. Then only the funds meant for different schemes would reach the beneficiaries. If the funds are allotted to a particular caste, it will be spent fairly well because these leaders in charge of the funds loved their jati. The existing poverty-yardstick to determine the existing budget allotments was not helpful as the funds were misused by the persons in charge.

"From poverty-based economic planning and budgeting, we must change over to caste-based budgeting and development. You can take it that within ten years, it will lead to visible changes. The Planning Commission must take note", he said.

LEGISLATURE BECOMING WEAK

The Editor warned the political parties that systematic efforts were being made by the upper caste rulers to weaken the legislature by saying that the "politicians are corrupt".

"Corruption is there from top to bottom. Temple priests, judges, journalists, doctors, lawyers, businessmen are all corrupt. Exceptions to the rule proves the rule. Why blame only politicians? This is an attempt to malign and demoralise the legislature which is throwing up SC/ST/BC and Muslim leaders due to the power of caste which is emerging as the most important determining factor in politics".

These upper castes while maligning the politicians were praising the judiciary and strengthening the judiciary. The power was passing from the legislature and executive to the judiciary. This is a dangerous sign. This has to be reversed.

Sovereignty lies with the people and the people have given it to the elected representatives.

The power of appointment of judges must be taken back from the Chief Justice of India by the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers, he said. Mariswamy, Dalit Christian leader, Ms. Amrita Athradi of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and Kumaraswamy of the OM India were responsible for organising the meeting. Though the "caste identity" thesis of the Editor was discussed all over India, it was so far confined to Dalit Voice circles. This was the first time the discussion was taken up by outsiders.

The Mangalore function on the same subject will be held on July 9 at the Town Hall. The Editor will be present.