Let there be 50 per cent reservation for Dalit priests in temples: Kancha Illaiah

[email protected] (The Hindu)
October 20, 2012

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Mangalore, October 20: Putting forth a solution to untouchability and caste discrimination, academician and writer Kancha Illaiah said the problem will be rectified if the discrimination in the temples cease.

 

Delivering the valedictory talk at the final day of the national seminar on “Discrimination and social exclusion: a study on the development experience of Dalits in Karnataka” held at Mangalore University, Mr. Illaiah said scriptures and superstitions propagated caste discrimination that continued on the political space in the country.

 

“Unlike other countries where discrimination comes out of human characteristics (like colour), the discrimination in India comes out of spirituality. Hindu gods view people as unequal and hence teachers view students as unequal and practise discrimination. When I was growing up, a superstition was imbibed among Dalit families that Goddess Saraswati would kill non-Brahmin and non-Bania students who were studying in school. The political system is an evolution of the spiritual system,” he said.

 

The “solution”, he said, was to announce 50 per cent reservation for priests in temples, which would see Dalits having access to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and ergo, access to “god”.

 

The power of religion over the people was seen during Ramzaan where a diktat in the Koran could command millions of people to ritually starve, Mr. Illaiah said. “Can any constitutional law bring out such obedience?”

 

He urged researchers of the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Mangalore University, which organised the seminar, to write about Dalit history and “village technologies” in leather and other industries where Dalits were traditionally in a majority. “Spiritual knowledge says Dalits are unintelligent. This can be proven wrong by cataloguing the technologies invented by the Dalits who made shoes, houses, beds, and discovered food cultures,” said Mr. Illaiah.

 

The former Member of Parliament B.K. Hari Prasad said it was a “tough job to rectify 5,000 years of social wrong”. “Independence has given freedom only to the rich and the high caste,” he said.

 

The eradication of untouchability could not be achieved only through the political system with its numerous laws, but needed a change in societal attitude.

 

He rued the dwindling public sector which through its strictly implemented reservation system had ensured jobs to thousands of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes employees.

 

“The private sector has almost entirely replaced the government sector. But they have done nothing for community development,” said Mr. Prasad.

 

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September 14,2024

Mangaluru: The block level and District Congress Committee presidents in the state will be changed in the next one month for better reach into society and bring in organisational fortification, said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president G C Chandrasheker on Saturday.

The All India Congress Committee and KPCC have a vision for bringing a change in how the party works with the last man and woman in the state, he said at a press conference here.

"We are looking at bringing development models into the state with a new vision. We are a party that likes to work with the opposition in the developmental aspects and keep all other matters away that do not relate to the development of the state.

"We have a great respect for the people of the coast who are considered to be forward-looking and perceptible, but it is also true that we do not have the numbers in the upper house and in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)," he said.

"Our endeavour is to not only create a strong pro-development workforce at the base level by strengthening the second and third level leadership in the state," he said.

Chandrasheker, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said that he and his four colleagues of the rank of working presidents of the KPCC are going to every district to infuse the new thinking in our workers and leaders.

"This move will get a new surge considering the party is facing byelections in Shiggaon, Chennapatna and Sandhur segments and also vacant seats in the legislative council, followed by elections to the Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats" he said.

When asked about the reason for the changes, Chandrashekar said most of the people have already lived their tenures. The party wants to reward those who have not been given tickets to contest in the 2023 state assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections for political reasons.

There are quite good leaders and hard-working ground level workers who have great potential to lead the party in the coming years, he said.

"Women will get at least one top post in all District Congress Committees and block levels. There is also a move to give responsible positions for the workers and leaders coming from different strata of society, which are deliverable. The party will not shy away from it," he said.

The other two working presidents, Dr Manjunath Bhandary and Vasanth Kumar, were also present at the press conference.

Kumar said some of the regions in the state are dominated by the BJP. "We want to end this run and defeat the divisive models of the BJP." Bhandary said the Indian National Congress was aiming at a high development phase in the state and involve the opposition parties and their leaders in the development plans in the state. 

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September 20,2024

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Mandya: The Deputy Superintendent of Police of Nagamangala town in Mandya district has been suspended for "negligence and dereliction of duty" in connection with the clashes that broke out between two groups during a Lord Ganesh idol procession, police said on Friday.

This is the second suspension of a police officer over the clashes on September 11 following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension here.

The situation in the town has since returned to normalcy and most of the shops have started operating. However, adequate security forces continued to be stationed here as a precautionary measure, according to police.

Sumeeth A R, DySP (Nagamangala), was suspended on Thursday for negligence and dereliction of duty, Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baldandi told PTI.

"He (Sumeeth) was not present at the spot nor was he at the police headquarters when the incident occurred. He arrived late at the spot despite the sensitive nature of events," he said.

Earlier, Police Inspector Ashok Kumar posted at Nagamangala town police station was suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the violence.

A total of 55 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship on September 11, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

The police had used mild force to disperse the crowd to control the situation.

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