The Hindu : Karnataka News : Govt. urged to provide land to Dalits, landless labourers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Govt. urged to provide land to Dalits, landless labourers

Staff Reporter

PROBLEMS GALORE: The President of the Republican Party of India, Ramadas Athawale (right) listening to grievances of Dalits at the inauguration of a seminar on `The integration and unification of exploited societies,' in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Dalits must put up a fight against the State Government's silent acquiescence as land grabbers have taken over thousands of acres of land and rendered lakhs of agricultural labourers jobless and landless. The principle of land to the tiller has been followed only in the breach, according to Ramadas Athawale, MP and President of the Republican Party of India.

He was addressing a seminar on "The integration and unification of exploited societies" here on Tuesday. The seminar, organised by the Karnataka State Dalit Sangharsh Samiti and the Karnataka State Dalit Samiti Federation, sought to highlight the belief among Dalits that they continue to be exploited politically and sidelined socially, and they are a long way off from the mainstream. Therefore, B.R. Ambedkar's call to unite and fight the exploitation is all the more relevant today.

Mr. Athawale wanted the Government to allocate excess lands to Dalits and landless labourers at five acres for each family. Hundreds of Dalits and people from other backward classes have died after drinking illicit liquor. The Republican Party leader wanted the Chief Minister to ban the sale of arrack in the State.

The Government must initiate disciplinary action against the heads of the government departments who have violated the rules in filling the backlog of vacancies, failing which a Statewide agitation will be launched from the third week of May, he said.

The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, who was to have inaugurated the seminar, could not make it.

For over two hours, the gathering waited, singing motivational songs and eulogising Dr. Ambedkar, only to be told that the function would have to start without the Chief Minister. It was left to Mr. Athawale to do the honours and get the seminar going.

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