HIMACHAL PRADESH

DSMM Holds Seminar on Dalit Issues

Ashish Kumar

A STATE level seminar on dalit issues was held on December 12 in Kali Bari Hall, Shimla by DSMM. This seminar was attended by over 300 delegates from 11 districts. The keynote address was given by Subhashini Ali, vice president of DSMM.

Subhashini in her speech said that Himachal is second in the country in dalit population with over 26 per cent.  She said dalit atrocities in the state are incessantly continuing. The progressive forces and groups must come forward to fight out this menace, she said. Commenting on the ‘Swaran Aayog’(Forward Commission) demand she explained that such demands are pushed by RSS and its cohorts, in guise of these commissions they want to end reservation for dalits.

She also mentioned the incident of killing of a dalit activist, Jindan in Sirmour district and said that the forces who killed him are now raising the issue of Swarn Aayog and getting rid of the dalit atrocity act. She also mentioned attacks on dalits and women by right-wing groups in the country. The Constitution of India gives a shield of protection against these attacks and that is why these groups are determined to get rid of it. According to Subhashini, the RSS has been proclaiming that the country does not require this constitution as ‘Manu’ laid the foundations of living and that must be followed.

Subhashini congratulated the DSMM team working in the state and asked them to sharpen the struggle against dalit atrocities.

The seminar was later addressed by Jagat Ram, convenor of DSMM, Ashish and Vivek Kashyap. Leaders of other democratic organisations also addressed the seminar.

The DSMM passed a resolution on holding campaigns at the panchayat level and to protest outside the Vidhan Sabha in the budget session in February 2022.

21st SFI State Conference

United Struggle against Privatisation, Centralisation & Saffronisation

Amit Thakur

THE 21st state conference of SFI Himachal Pradesh was held on December 4-5, at Solan. Calling for a united struggle against privatisation, centralisation and saffronisation of education under the National Education Policy 2020, a public meeting was held at the Solan district headquarters before the conference.

OPENING SESSION

All the delegates and invited guests were welcomed at the conference by Mohit Verma, the chairman of the reception committee.

Inaugurating the 21st conference, former SFI state secretary, Onkar Shad, in his address said that the struggle of farmers in the country has created a new history. He said that this is not only the victory of the farmers' movement going on throughout the country for a year, but the victory of this movement has also created a spirit among the struggling and agitating people.

Onkar Shad made a scathing criticism of the government and said that the wealth that was created in the last 70 years in the country is being sold at throwaway prices. The government in the country is trying to implement such policies in the education sector as well, through which, efforts are being made to break communal harmony of the country and to fulfil the dream of nation-building through a particular ideology of hatred, the country's constitutional unity is being buried, which prevails in the diversity of values ​​and historical heritage of India.

The leadership of various democratic organisations greeted the conference, expressing solidarity with the students’ movement.

DELEGATE SESSION

At the beginning of the delegate session, various committees were formed for the conduct of the conference and the proceedings were carried forward. In this conference, 204 delegates from a total of 10 districts participated. The state secretary presented the draft of the organisational report before the conference for discussion. The report outlined the conditions that the organisation is going through within the state in the last two years. The achievements and weaknesses at the level of the organisation were openly acknowledged and placed before the conference for discussion.

 There was a fruitful and constructive debate on the political and organisational report. Seven groups were formed for discussing the report. A total of 21 delegates participated in the debate.

All India general secretary of SFI, Mayukh Biswas, president, V P Sanu and Dinit Denta, who were present at the conference, also addressed the conference. Mayuk said that Himachal Pradesh has been a source of learning and inspiration for the student movement in the entire country. The student movement of Himachal Pradesh is known for long and decisive struggles, today there is a need to give a new life to those struggles, there is a need to build a comprehensive and strong organisation by overcoming the ups and downs in the organisation due to the Covid epidemic. He said that we hope that SFI will play an important role in creating decisive movements by uniting the student community to take up the problems of the students within Himachal Pradesh.

At the end of the conference, the election of the state committee took place unanimously. A 15-member state secretariat was elected from the first meeting of the state committee, and Amit Thakur and Ramesh Tharta were elected as secretary and president respectively. Two subcommittees, girl students’ and social media, were also formed.

Convention on Women and Dalit Issues

Falma Chauhan

THE AIDWA Himachal unit held a state-level convention on women and dalit issues on December 13 at Shimla. From six districts 120 delegates participated in this convention.

Subhashini Ali, vice president of AIDWA was the chief guest at this convention. Despite extreme cold conditions prevailing in the state, the women delegates attended it. From far-flung areas, they had started travelling the previous night to attend this convention.

Subhashini Ali said that casteism is deep-rooted in our society and with thousands of years of practice the people have been made to believe this as a universal system. From top to bottom a big section of the people wants to keep this system alive. Customs and traditions have been built to further consolidate and reinforce this system. She said we must think of breaking such customs to free women and dalits from this bondage.

Subhashini while speaking about the government said that this is an RSS guided government. The RSS had in 1949 stated that they do not want a new constitution and Manusmriti should be the guiding document to govern. We all know this is based on caste differentiation and for consolidating the caste system.

Making reference to Savitri Phule she said that she was married at a very young age but with able assistance from her husband Mahatma Phule she studied and participated in the social reform movement. She opened schools for dalit girls when they were not allowed to study. A Muslim woman Fatima gave her room for running a school. Even in present times dalit girls are unable to get education. She said this should be part of the democratic movement ensuring that dalit girls are enrolled in schools and education is imparted to them.

Later girls and women shared their experiences of differentiation and atrocities in the convention. Asha Kumari from Chamba said that this is a strange custom in the mountains that whenever there is a marriage function in the villages, dalits are made to sit separately.

Amita from Sirmour district said that right since her childhood she was made to understand that she is a dalit and she must pay her obeisance to the local deity in the temple from a distance. Asha Devi from Theog said that in her village dalit and especially dalit women’s shadow is considered to be bad for the people of other castes.

In the end state secretary, Falma Chauhan placed a resolution of holding conventions in all the districts on women and dalit issues by January 31. Another resolution to organise self-help groups' women and women working in MGNREGA was also placed and passed in the convention. Reena Singh, president AIDWA state committee thanked all the delegates for participating in such adverse conditions.