Republican Party of India (RPI) leader and Union minister Ramdas Athawale has announced Dalit morchas in Beed, Latur and Parbhani in the Marathwada region to counter the protests that have been organi
Republican Party of India (RPI) leader and Union minister Ramdas Athawale has announced Dalit morchas in Beed, Latur and Parbhani in the Marathwada region to counter the protests that have been organised by the Maratha community across the state. While the Maratha community is demanding the scrapping of the atrocity Act and bringing in reservation for the community, the Dalit leaders, however, are going to oppose these demands.
Mr Athawale, the Union minister of state for social justice, announced in Delhi on Wednesday that the Dalit community would lead protests in various parts of the state. “The Dalit morcha will be against the changing or scrapping of the atrocities Act. The decision was taken after Dalits workers insisted that the protest be held. There will be morchas in Beed, Latur and Parbhani. No Dalit leader will participate in the protest and it will be conducted peacefully,” Mr Athawale said.
The Dalit leader even added that their protest is not against the Maratha community. The minister also clarified that the BJP or RSS are not behind the planned Dalit morchas. However, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable demanded a counter protest, after which Mr Athawale announced the rallies.
Another Dalit leader and Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar, however, has taken a different point of view. He has appealed to the community to not take out a counter protest and politicise the matter. Mr Ambedkar has said that the Dalit community should not be carried away by the protest rallies that the Maratha community are organising.
Mr Sable, however, demanded the counter protest, after which Mr Athawale announced the rallies.
Initially, the incident of the brutal rape and killing of a minor girl in Kopardi triggered the rallies taken out by the Maratha community. But the larger issues, such as scrapping of the atrocity Act and reservation for the community, have also been demanded during the rallies. The participation of women and girls in the rallies has been noticeable, but they are primarily demanding justice for the Kopardi victim.
