CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has written to the minister for parliamentary affairs, Venkaiah Naidu, on May 6, 2015 asking him to take measures to convene a special session of parliament on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, to discuss issues concerning the dalits in our country. Below we reproduce the text of the letter. THE 21st Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held from April 14-19, 2015 at Visakhapatnam had adopted a resolution calling for the convening of a special session of parliament on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar to discuss issues connected with the status of Scheduled Caste communities in India. You will agree that the condition of dalits has worsened during the course of the last two decades. Even while the practice of untouchability and different forms of violence against Scheduled Caste communities takes place, the conviction rate of people accused in such cases continues to be low. Laws such as The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act need to be strengthened and fully implemented. The Manual Scavengers Act is also yet to be implemented. Large sections of dalits in rural India are landless workers without assets. There is a huge backlog in filling up reserved posts. Development schemes lie unimplemented. Dalit Christians and Muslims have been denied recognition as Scheduled Castes, and are consequently excluded from benefits to which Scheduled Castes are entitled, in addition to existing quotas. The CPI(M) feels that these and other issues need separate discussion and resolution by parliament. A special session would ensure that the attention of the entire country is focused on this shameful scourge of Indian society – inequality on the basis of birth and descent – and on the urgent need to take comprehensive and strong measures to eliminate it. I hope you will consider this seriously and take measures to convene a special session of parliament on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, who is universally recognised as one of the main architects of our constitution. As the chairman of the drafting committee he commended the Draft Constitution for adoption to the Constituent Assembly, whose adoption completed the transition of independent India into a secular democratic republic.