Dalit leader and independent MLA from Vadgam, Jignesh Mevani, commenced an ‘All Caste Convention’ from Mehsana Thursday late evening. “From today evening, I will campaign in northern Gujarat by holding public gatherings to connect with the Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi communities and being their voice against the BJP’s anti-minority policies”, Jignesh Mevani told VO!
He stressed that the BJP government should withdraw the cases charged against the Dalits during the Una protests. “If it’s not done then Gujarat will see an Andolan very soon”.
“There is strong anti-government momentum at the grassroots level now because the social-economic backwardness is increasing among the minority communities of Gujarat. The right-wing forces are trying hard to imprint their Hindutva ideology among Dalits and diverting them from the real issues. This public gathering to enlighten the people about the danger they are surrounded by”, Mevani added.
Mevani will hold more public gatherings in the districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Baroda and Gandhinagar. “On Sunday by morning 9, I will address a gathering at Vav Taluka in Banaskantha”.
In 2016, four Dalits were brutally beaten up in Gujarat’s Una, causing national uproar and bringing India’s brutal caste divisions to light yet again. The incident became a turning point for Mevani: He founded the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM), which organised a 10-day march from Ahmedabad to Una to protest the incident, and later rose as a prominent Dalit voice, fighting and winning his first election as an Independent MLA in 2017.
“Dalits and tribals are the poorest of the poor, the most marginalised of the lot, I will stand with them and arise their issues till there is a solution. This is my political ideology, no one can dilute it”, Mevani said.
He added that Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Castes (OBC) and Minority votes will be consolidated as Congress votes in this assembly election. “The BJP’s anti-people reign in Gujarat will end”.
Jignesh Mevani was arrested by Assam police in back-to-back cases, for one over criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other alleging molestation, which was called a ‘false case’ by the Gauhati High Court.
