The Hindu : Karnataka News : DSS criticises BSP poll strategy

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

DSS criticises BSP poll strategy

Vishwa Kundapura

It will help the BJP, says Venkatesh of DSS

‘What does it mean for the Dalits and minorities?’
‘Gujarat model does not augur well for Karnataka’

KOLAR: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has entered the electoral battle in the State on a large scale for the first time and is hoping to play the kingmaker in formation of a new government, has drawn flak from the Dalit movement of Karnataka.

The alleged “Congress should be defeated at any cost unmindful of the benefit to the BJP” approach of the BSP has particularly come in for sharp criticism.

“This approach of the BSP is certainly helpful to the BJP. It is a well established fact that the BJP stands in favour of uni-polar culture and against the interests of Dalits, minorities and backward classes,” says N. Venkatesh, State organising secretary of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS).

At least, as far as Karnataka is concerned, the BSP’s approach was not a welcome development, he remarked.

In an exclusive chat with The Hindu, Mr. Venkatesh, one of the founders of Dalit movement in the State, reveals the strategy of the DSS.

As the BSP is not a established political force in the State, the split in votes will help the BJP, he said and added that is “what we wanted to avoid”.

Though the pro-Dalit political forum, Sarvodaya Paksha, has fielded its candidates in 45 Assembly segments, the DSS has decided to support the Left, secular and democratic forces to ensure the defeat of the “communal forces”, he said. When it comes to the parties, it has been decided to go with the Congress by and large, he added.

Referring to the BJP’s much publicised Gujarat model, Mr. Venkatesh asked, “What does it mean for the Dalits and minorities?” Terming the alleged atrocities on Dalits and minorities in Gujarat under the BJP dispensation as a blot on humanity, the Dalit leader said that such model does not augur well for Karnataka, an abode of communal harmony.

According to him, the BSP has failed to understand the dangerous portents of the BJP which is out to damage the secular fabric of the country.

The fact that the BSP is not able to uphold the aspirations and the validity of the Constitution is also deplorable, he remarked.

Establishing a secular and democratic government that helps achieving welfare of the socially oppressed sections of society was the aspiration of the Dalit movement. It is in this background that defeating the BJP gains significance, Mr. Venkatesh said. Besides leading many other agitations, Mr. Venkatesh is in the forefront of a struggle demanding re-trial into the Kambalapalli case.

“We want more representatives in the Assembly to echo the woes of the Dalits and seek solutions for them,” he said.

Mr. Venkatesh also criticised the veteran Dalit leader of Kolar district, C.M. Muniyappa, for joining the Janata Dal (Secular).

The Janata Dal(S) has lost its credibility as a secular entity as it connived with the saffron brigade to grab power in the State.

Though the former has severed ties with the BJP now, there is no guarantee that it will not join hands again with the BJP to enjoy power, he said.

The DSS’ strategy has caused anxiety in Kolar and Chickballapur districts where Dalits form about 30 per cent of the population.

As the Dalit movement in the State has weakened due to a number of splinter groups coming into existence, how long the DSS will hold sway among Dalit voters is to be seen.

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