In
the run up to the elections for the 16th parliament (Lok
Sabha), elections in Punjab for 13 seats were held on
April, 30, 2014, of which 4 are reserved seats. It was a
smooth affair in spite of the fact that political
temperature registered in various constituencies was
more than the climatic temperature by any measure. The
big player’s viz. Congress, Akali Dal, BJP did not leave
any stone unturned to convince the voters both by media
onslaughts and also by flexing their muscles of money
power and other influences at their command. Their
counterpart BSP, as usual, raised some dust too. The new
entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tried its best to register
its presence, it seems, with success. The results, it
appears, would be unpredictable as both the BSP and AAP
would tend to play a spoiling role in the final count. I
voted in Punjab for the first time. Let us wait for the
verdict on May 16.
Punjab
happens to be a state where the dalit population is
estimated to be around 35%. In some of the
constituencies, it is estimated that it reaches even
40%. The dalits of Punjab are economically better off
than their brethren in other parts of the country. A
good number of them are settled abroad in countries of
Europe and America and also in the Arabian Gulf. The
community is spiritually alive under the aegis of Ad-dharam,
Sikhism, Kabirpanthis, Valmikis under the influence and
association with one Dera or the other. In the thirties,
Ad-dharam Mandal of Gadarite leader Babu Mangu Ram and
his associates advocated separate identity for the
dalits and supported Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Both Babu
Manguram
and Babasaheb though did not agree on many issues,
played a big role in dalit awakening in Punjab. Dr.
Ambedkar’s Scheduled Caste Federation and later
Republican Party organized the dalits and brought them
to the political reckoning in the state. Congress which
remained the ruling party for many years after
independence in 1947 under the leadership of dalit
leaders like Prithvi Singh Azad, Master Gurbanta Singh
and others stood against Dr. Ambedkar. Babu Manguram’s
Ad-dharam Mandal became dormant and fizzled out in due
course. The Republican Party under the leadership of
Piara Ram Dhanowalia and others registered limited
success and joined the first ever non-Congress
government of Justice Gurnam Singh of Akali Dal in the
mid 1960’s. The dalits gained further strength and
prosperity. The Akali Dal and the BJP understood the
importance of dalits who were hitherto the supporters of
the Congress and the Republican Party. These parties
started wooing the dalits. Piara Ram Dhanowalia and his
associates joined the Congress. The Republican leaders
like Lahori Ram Balley, though a competent leader, lost
on the way in this transition. Congress, Akali Dal and
BJP started embracing Dr. Ambedkar in line with the vote
bank politics. Kanshi Ram emerged yet another leader of
the dalits and came in the scene as BSP. He could
register his presence not only in the Punjab Legislative
Assembly but also in the Lok Sabha from Punjab. BSP came
but it was yet to reach. Congress’s hold on dalits
started diminishing. The new dalit leadership in the
Congress under Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Mohinder Singh
Kaypee, Shamsher Singh Dullo and others failed to
establish themselves as the community leaders. Akali Dal
and BJP, in terms of real politico modus operandi,
played their card cleverly. They could succeed in
dividing dalit community among Ad-dharmis, Kabirpanthies,
Valmikis, Ravidassias, Majhabis, etc. With the propped
up leaders like Bhagat Chunni Lal (Kabirpanthi), Hans
Raj Hans (Valmiki), Som Prakash (Ad-dharmi) the
community further disintegrated. The BSP-trained cadres
drifted and found space in Congress (Dr. Ram Lal Jassi,
Satnam Kainth & others), in Akali Dal (Pawan Tinu,
Avinash Chander & others) and also in BJP and enjoyed
the spoils of power. BSP went the way Republican Party
had gone and lost its eminance. The spiritual deras
particularly the followers of Guru Ravidass got
considerable following and influence among the dalit
masses. They could not control and consolidate in the
absence of enlightened and experienced advisers and
aides. The mostly illiterate spiritual leadership of
these deras did not find any need to invite and
associate the experienced lot as advisers and managers.
The actions of a prominent Dera in Jalandhar, in forming
yet another sect/religion and the adoption of a new holy
book, proved to be a futile exercise which resulted in
social tension on one hand and divisive for the
community on the other. The crux of the matter is that
dalit community is totally divided. The so called
economic well being and resultant awakening have tended
to divide further rather than uniting. The political
parties particularly the Akali Dal played a subtle role
in dividing the dalits by supporting one Dera against
the other. The vested social, spiritual and political
interests wanted exactly this to happen. It suited them
to keep dalits under their tutelage.
Punjab
with the highest percentage of dalit population will
always be ruled by the non dalits. It is a matter of
fact in the given circumstances. If dalits wish to get
their due space in social, economic and political
landscape in Punjab, they need to stand up, consider and
act in getting united as dalits irrespective of their
religion, community identity, dera affiliation. The food
for thought is that which political party has fielded
any dalit candidate in the elections other than the
reserved seats? None, not even BSP. Does it commensurate
with their demographic strength? How do they expect to
get their share (Bhagidari) in the establishment and
governance? Let us think and get the answers.
