The Dalit Quit India Party is being seen as a symbol of a new political and social direction emerging from education, the support of Indian diaspora, and global opportunities.
Dalits want more. Even if they cannot find it in India, they may go to other countries to seek it. This is the message of the Dalit Quit India Party (DQIP), founded by intellectual and Dalit thinker Chandra Bhan Prasad. Although not yet registered as a political party, this group appears to be becoming a force in shaping the direction of Dalit thought.
Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s core mantra for Dalits was education. In essence, he advised Dalits to “be educated, organize, fight,” and have self-confidence. Ambedkar was the first untouchable in India to obtain a PhD and study abroad. This is entirely thanks to a scholarship from the Maharaja of Baroda, which allowed him to pursue a law degree and a PhD from Columbia University and the London School of Economics (LSE).
Prasad’s initial inspiration came from the farmers’ movement and he also received support from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). He says that the days when Dalit children were satisfied with a degree from a typical Indian university are over. Now, they must be ambitious and self-confident. Dalits must send their children abroad to study, not just at ordinary universities, but at prestigious institutions like Harvard, Columbia, and the London School of Economics. Children should also be fluent in English and develop skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), aiming to become faculty members at foreign universities. Their ambitions should be limitless.
Prasad’s theoretical basis for this belief is that Dalits lack an elite and, as a result, have no social regulator or agency. Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) possessed this potential. However, Kanshi Ram shifted the movement from Ambedkar to Periyar, focusing on the plight of Dalits, even though he himself lived in poverty and deprivation, in order to resonate with his followers. In many parts of India, his BAMCEF devolved into a personality-centered organization of blind followers. Consequently, when someone left the organization, it disintegrated. The final blow was the shift from Bahujan to Sarvajan, which led to the rise of aggressive leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad and his Bhim Army.
Prasad also believes that simply acquiring an academic degree from abroad will not suffice, and it is not a solution, as discrimination exists everywhere. According to a 2016 survey of 1,200 individuals of South Asian descent in the United States conducted by Equality Labs (released in 2018), 26 percent reported experiencing physical assault due to their caste, while 59 percent reported experiencing caste-related comments. However, this is the only such survey to date.
More than half of those surveyed reported being afraid to identify as Dalit. Some even conceal their caste, while others proudly state it. Kanishka Elupula, a PhD student at Harvard University, told Pulitzer Center researchers during a 2019 project on caste in America, “When I’m at Harvard, I want to be known as an untouchable because I want people to know that.” Cases of caste discrimination have also been filed in US courts, particularly in California, a hub of the technology industry. Various measures have been introduced to address caste issues domestically in India. Maharashtra is the only state that provides scholarships to Dalit students enrolled in foreign universities to cover tuition fees, allowances, and living expenses. A National Council for Affirmative Action was established in 2010 by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), chaired by the late J.J. Irani. Based on annual reports, progress on this front is also patchy. There are still no Dalits in the top management levels of any major company, but Dalit matrimony websites are flooded with applications seeking or seeking marriages with individuals employed in multinational companies (MNCs). Dalit-led enterprises, led by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), are flourishing, and several state governments have changed procurement policies to benefit Dalit contractors.
However, it is difficult to predict how politically and socially influential the unification of Dalit Indians in the Indian diaspora can be in the country. After all, the activities of the Indian diaspora have exacerbated many issues. On the other hand, violence against Dalits continues to rise, and National Crime Records Bureau data shows that the conviction rate remains low, at around 25 percent. For Dalits, education and capitalism remain the only paths to progress. Disobedience is the other.
Aditi Phadnis
Courtesy: Hindi News