Former Chief Secretary (CS) Niranjan Arya had raised the issue of discrimination against Dalits and the encroachment on their lands. He said - unity is only shown in speeches and books.
This discrimination can also be seen in the workplace. Which file will be given to whom, who will be in which seat, which post should be given to whom, who should be seated in which interview? All this is discrimination.
Arya had said this at the conference of the Scheduled Caste Employees Association in Jaipur on September 21. A debate has started on social media.
Former Chief Secretary said-
My village is in Pali district, named Raas. There, the upper-caste community has occupied my grandfather’s land for the past 40 years. I have been trying for the past year, but the occupation cannot be vacated. This is after I served as an IAS officer and Chief Secretary.
Upper caste occupied land, unable to get it vacated Former Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya himself comes from the Dalit community. Arya said at the Ajak conference, “When I went to the village recently, someone told me that this land is yours.” I asked – “How is it mine?” Then he told me that these people have been occupying it since your grandfather’s time. They might have borrowed 50-100 rupees. That land is still under their occupation. I was a Collector in five districts, but this matter never came to my attention.
Arya said- We are being told that cleaning is your job, then why is the municipal corporation giving cleaning contracts to companies? Our people are doing the cleaning, but someone else is the owner. We don’t have money or entrepreneurship. Others have taken over our business, and we have been reduced to laborers.
Sharing his own story, he said, the lawyer’s behavior changed Arya shared an experience and said- After retiring as Chief Secretary, I went to a lawyer for a case. The lawyer belonged to a high community. Since I had retired, half my value was already diminished.
When I went the first day, the lawyer offered tea. He entertained me with savories and biscuits. He even came out to see me off. When I went the second time, the lawyer casually asked what my rank was in the IAS. I said, ‘What does that have to do with my case? I have retired, haven’t I?’
Still, I said, let me clear your misunderstanding, my rank was 380. It was because of Ambedkar that I became an IAS. After this, there was a day and night difference in the lawyer’s behavior. When I left after that, they didn’t even come to see me off.
Debate on social media After this video of former Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya, a debate has started on social media. One side is arguing in favor and the other against. Some users are raising questions about not being able to get the encroachment removed from their own land despite being the Chief Secretary. Some users have linked it to caste discrimination.
Courtesy : Bhaskar English
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