New Delhi : Brahmanism and Brahman Raj were the biggest factors responsible for the destruction of India’s social and moral fabric. The country faced and recovered from several outside invasions but the greatest harm came from the attack of “Bramanvad”.
Jagjivan Ram, president of Congress (J), said in New Delhi on Feb. 18. Speaking at a rally of the Backward Classes, Harijan, Adivasi Action Committee at the Boat Cub, he said that everything in Hindu society was decided on the basis of birth and caste alone was the single biggest factor that gave dignity and status to the person. He pointed out, as did other Opposition leaders like Charan Singh, Karpoori Thakur, Chadrawati and Devaraj Urs, that the Constitution provided for special arrangements for the socially and educationally backward classes. Jagjivan Ram criticized ‘those who were against the policy of job reservations and yet advocated reservation of the post of Shankaracharya’s for the Brahmans. “Will those who oppose reservation for Harijans oppose reserving the Shankaracharya’s post for Brahmins ? Will a Harijan be allowed to become a Shankaracharya ?” Democracy in India would not be strengthened un-less every citizen had equal position and felt that he had a share in State power. The people weilded power in the country only theoretically ; in fact the votes were maneuvered to enable a handful of people to run the “Sultanate from Delhi”. The Government had already confined to the dustbin the recommendations of the Kaka Kalekar Commission and now it was afraid to pace before Parliament the report of the Mandal Commission on the backward classes. Devaraj Urs said that the caste system was one peculiarity of Indian society and therefore the criticism that castes were not classes was incorrect. To a great extent, the lower castes also formed the poorer classes. Karpoori Thakur, Lok Dal leader, gave statistics to show that the 5% of the Brahmans were able to get more than 50% of the top jobs in the country. In a Cabinet of 18 members, nine were Brahmans : out of 98 Vice-Chancellors it was 50 ; out of 500 Secretaries, Additional Secretaries and top bureaucrates the figure was 320; and of the 16 Supreme Court judges, nine came from that rank. Is this justice ? he asked and told assembled people that if they were willing to fight and struggle for their rights, nothing would be able to prevent them from achieving their aims. The realty had three main demands-presentation of the Mandal Commission report to Parliament and its implementation, reservation of jobs for the backward classes and filling up of the reservation quota for Harijans and Scheduled Tribes and Castes, and measures for stopping the daily atrocities on Harijans and backwerd classes. A leader from Bihar, said that outside Parliament there were two statues, those of B. R. Ambedkar and Motilal Nehru. The Ambedkar statue had a copy of the Constitution under its arm and pointed a finger towards Parliament. “This statue tells us to go to Parliament and take our Constitutional rights”, he said. However, the statue of Motilal Nehru had a “danda (stick)” in hand “This statue prevents with a danda from doing this”, he explained. (Statesman-Feb. 19)
Karpoori Thakur former Chief Minister of Bihar, said : “The policy of reservation is not casteist but national, not prejudiced but open-minded. The makers of our Constitution were national leaders, not casteist leaders. They were patriots not traitors to this country. The Constitutional provision of reservation must be implemented fully. A Government which violates the Constitution directives is a traitor to the Constitution.” Only one section, class; has benefited from this development. When Harijans, Adivasis and backward castes demanded their rights, they were called casteist and criticized in various ways, he said, “Who does the criticizing ? The criticizing is done by those whose hold on wealth, power, education, culture, prestige has been strengthened over thousands of years. Five per cent of the people have a monopoly of over 50% of the jobs and 65% of the people have less than the other half of the jobs. This is how power is centralized in few hands,” Thakur said (Statesman Feb 17)
