From: M C Raj <mcraj.reds@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 9:24 PM
Subject: Fireworks Time in REDS
Friends
(Sorry for cross posting if any)
It is fireworks time in the Dalit Panchayat Movement of Tumkur and in Booshakthi Vedike. The recently concluded elections to the Gram Panchayat (Local Body) have produced more than one reason to celebrate. The Dalit drums have started roaring and are beginning to silence the cynics. The Dalit people of our Movement have one or two lessons to offer to those civil society actors who keep blaming the people for their failures. Just see these awesome changes that have taken place among our people in Tumkur and now also extended to some parts of Karnataka and you will be forced to change your opinion.
In the recently concluded Gram Panchayat (Local Body) elections our Dalit Movement fielded nearly 900 candidates and 665 of them have won. This is an unprecedented achievement and an apt reward for the hard work that we have put in all these years. This is the area where Jyothi and Raj started their work first and it was a mixed group of all castes then. It took many years of hard work to capture two entire panchayats near Booshakthi Kendra. This is the area where we started work in 1984 and faced stiff opposition from politicians including the threat of murder. Once we were caught in the midst of weapon wielding thugs coming in circles menacingly. But we dared them to kill us and they just disappeared. We took the battle politically and were even able to defeat the MLA in this constituency. Now our people have deservedly captured two entire panchayats. We are waiting for the elections to the Presidents in these Panchayats and we already know who will become presidents.
In Tumkur District 460 of our candidates have won. In other Districts of Karnataka 205 have won. There are more interesting facts about this victory. Of the 460 candidates in Tumkur District 271 are Dalits and 189 are non-Dalits with whom we made electoral alliance. When we say Dalits, it refers specifically to candidates of our Dalit Movement and not to any Dalit candidate. Among the 271 Dalits 116 are Dalit women and 155 are Dalit men. We are not fully happy about this but we have come a long way to come bring our women to this positioning. Of the 189 non-Dalit candidates of our alliance 73 are women and 116 are men.
In other Districts of Karnataka we fought the elections through the Booshakthi Vedike, which is the Network of our Dalit Movement. Of the 205 winners 145 are Dalits and 60 are non-Dalit alliance partners. Among the Dalits 47 are women and 98 are men.
There are some very interesting other factors too. In Tumkur District five of our Dalit candidates are elected unanimously, that means without a contest. At the Karnataka level 7 have been elected unanimously. In Tumkur 3 of our Dalit women were elected in non-reserved seats. This means the caste people fielded our women and mobilized votes for them. This is something to cherish for ages. In Booshakthi Vedike area two of our Dalit candidates have won in general seats fully supported by the caste people. The alliance and this type of victory clearly indicates that our Dalit Panchayat Movement has moved well ahead from a stage of confrontations to meaningful alliance building. Dialectic democracy is becoming a reality in our villages. Who said that our village people do not negotiate and dialogue?
The mood in our Movement is upbeat, definitely. We are ascending the scales of achievements one by one without losing our head anywhere. The mantra of our success is the balance between heart and head. It is slow but on sure paths of success. We hope sooner or later the rest of the Dalit world will begin to see this and begin to emulate the Tumkur model in the best interest of the community and the country.
We must also confess that the numbers given here will increase a little more in the next two weeks as it is possible that some of our coordinators have missed out counting some winners. But number is not an issue when it has come to this.
Tomorrow is the Festival of Dalit Women. Please celebrate the Dalit Women, the eternal source of our energy.
Wishing a Happy Festival of Dalit Women
Jyothi, Raj, TEAM REDS, Dalit Panchayat Movement and Booshakthi Vedike
--
M C Raj
REDS, REDS Road
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
Email for electoral reforms: ceri.reds@gmail.com
Email for REDS: jyothi.dalitreds@gmail.com
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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