Rahul Gandhi recalibrates Congress Dalit policy

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi has directed the Congress to spell out "non-negotiables" on Dalit issues, signalling that days of compromise on the crucial front may be over under his leadership. He told party managers that an un ambiguous bottom line would curb the role of discretion in taking up dalit issues.
Elaborating, he said Congress should be clearly seen to be standing with victims of atrocities and it should hammer out a strategy to help Dalit migrants who face problems of space and employment in urban centres.

The intent to press the reset button comes amid mounting criticism that Congress has been opportunistic in championing the cause of the marginalized community , as much out of the political need to appease general castes as for coalition compulsions.

Amid renewed interest in the key social bloc after being ousted from power, Congress has officially acknowledged that outfits like BSP success fully painted it as anti-Dalit to hurt it politically. The competition for Dalit votes will only grow intense as evident from the political rush to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.

To repair the credibility , Rahul proposed an "uncompromising" approach at a recent discussion, with his visit to Ambedkar's birth town of Mhow on June 2 being the signal of a restart.

The Rahul-driven Dalit agenda would be evident from the monsoon session of Parliament starting in July .

Congress would mount pressure on the government to pass contentious laws like "promotion quota" and "amendments to prevention of atrocities Act".

The party will also demand legislations on 'SC-ST sub-plans' to mandate by law that the central budget be earmarked for the two communities in proportion to their population, and sub-plan laws in states.

In a radical move, Congress will seek promulgation of 'Reservation Act' ­ a law to codify the executive orders that govern the quota regime.

The aggression on Dalit front could be fraught given that SC-centric issues tend to polarize the upper castes as well as the 'strong OBCs', a possibility which has the potential to backfire.

'Promotion quota' and 'atrocities Act' championed by the UPA ran into opposition from BJP and OBC outfits like Samajwadi Party while the Congress government also failed to pass the Reservation Act.

Based on the recommendations of the AICC's Ambedkar celebration committee, Congress would ask party-ruled states to bring "special schemes" to commemorate Ambedkar's birth anniversary.

Sonia writes to PM on crimes on Dalits

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote to PM Modi expressing concern at the "distressing rise" in crimes against Dalits and demanded that the Centre bring for passage the ' Dalit atrocities Act' in the monsoon session of Parliament. She slammed the government's decision to allow UPA's ordinance strengthening the atrocities Act to lapse.