Parties promise top spots, but community says its issues missing from poll campaign

Dalit community members who spoke to The Indian Express said that while announcements of welfare schemes are welcome, they are not enough to solve their problems. The campaign, they argued, is focused more on ‘mafia raj’ and less on their issues.

It is given this background that the National SC Alliance (NSCA) organised a 24-hour online survey that asked people of the state that which Dalit issues were most important for them.

The organisation put up five main issues related to Dalits on social media and also invited responses through emails, SMSs and direct calls from the people of the state.

The questions covered issues like post-matric scholarship, social boycott, discrimination and atrocities, 1/3rd share in village common land for the Dalits, implementation of the 85th amendment for faster promotions to Dalits, the Tughlakabad Guru Ravidas Mandir demolition issue, among others.

Among all the questions, most responses were received to the question related to education of Dalit students in a span of 24 hours.

The outfit received 840 emails, SMSs and 1,008 clicks on social media regarding these issues. They received 42% emails and 23% clicks on social media backing the issue related to post-matric scholarship scheme which is meant for poor Dalit students. The second most important issue, which the people highlighted, was related to social boycott, discrimination, exploitation, rape and atrocities. Backing this issue, 37.9% emails and 16.4% clicks were received. Similarly, the organisation received 27% emails related to 1/3rd share in the village common landforo Dalit population. 85th amendment and Tughlakabad issue also got 22.1% and 17.9% mails, respectively.

President of NSCA, Satnam Singh Kainth, said that in this election nobody is talking about these Dalit issues except a few announcements related to the Dalit population of the state. “The purpose of conducting this survey was just to remind our politicians that what the people of the state feel about the real issues of the Dalits of the state,” he said.

He said that every government is making policies related to the Dalits but when it comes to the implementation then everyone drags their feet.

He said that the education of Dalits is the most important issue for the people of the state as revealed by this 24-hour long survey.

NSCA chief said that the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) Act 1964 says that Dalits are eligible for getting 33% of shamlat land (village common land) but in large number of villages they are not getting this land as big landlords are using this land with the connivance of government officials.

“I just want to remind every political party that if they are so desperate to get Dalit votes than they should be focus on such real Dalit issues,” he said, adding that ahead of election such issues must be highlighted with prominence in every election manifesto.

In Punjab there are 39 sub-castes of Dalits and their population is 32% of the state (according to 2011 census).