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Ssc SOCIAL STUDY CIRCLE di (ESTD
1982) www.dalitindia.com ssc@dalitindia.com *********************************************************************** |
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December
5, 2001
Dear Friends,
As you are all aware, Govt of India had issued a large
number of Office Memorandums affecting the Reservation Policies of the
Government for SCs&STs and OBCs in general, and in particular against
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Government Employment, and in other
Public Services. Very few are even
today aware of either the exact number of such Black OMs and the effect on the
SCs&STs.
The OBCs are blissfully unaware and are sleeping. They do not know that many OMs had adversely
affected the Backward Classes’ Interests, Job Opportunities, and the
Reservations that were available to them before these Black OMs were
issued. At least the SC&ST Dalit
Organisations have been protesting and had taken up the issue with the Govt
through the Members of Parliament, and had been representing to the Govt.
Many SC&ST MPs had raised the Issue of these OMs, time
and again in both Houses of the Parliament, and in various other Forums. Govt shrewdly was non-committal, but was
diplomatic enough to give many evasive assurances to the Dalit MPs, and in
various public meetings, particularly at the time of Elections, bye-Elections,
and Elections to the States. Taking
advantage of such a nebulous situation certain small individuals and some
organisations have been organising protest meetings, seminars, dharnas and
rallies to project their images and make money. Some had raked in large amounts of Funds and had also started
reaping undue political mileage. But
all the SC&ST Dalits in the Country are extremely thankful to each and
everyone, and their action small or big, selfish or misleading. Every bit of action by every good, bad,
genuine, fraudulent, selfless, selfish, knowledgeable, shallow, sincere or
cheap individuals had gone to strengthen the hands of the few serious leaders. Yes, there are few, in fact very few Dalit
Leaders are sincere serious active.
Sadly very many vocal and active leaders, fail to become good and
effective result oriented leaders. Few
remain committed, but only as long as they are not tempted with some offer or
promises of personal benefits. And of
course most shut themselves in some sort of impregnable self-imposed cocoon
once they reach offices of power. That
is a sad reality, and to some extent acceptable and understandable. But there are others who for their personal
private benefits shift their positions, interests and loyalties and sell
themselves either to the highest bidders or under the lure of office. And of course there are players who act out
their scenes either for the gallery, or for the media, or hoping to be picked
up by someone or any group, as if they are some sort of street-walkers. That is sad. But even amidst them all, here we have some regular, almost
consistent leaders committed to our cause.
They had really expounded our cause very forcefully in the Parliament
during the Debate in the Lok Sabha.
They had taken the help of ‘dalitindia’ and had sent for some of us to
prepare relevant background materials, draft speeches, and had asked for copies
of our Charts and write-ups on the Black OMs, and whatever we had so far put on
the Web-Site about Dalit Development, and also had discussed but are yet to
upload on the WS.
We enclose herewith as an Annexure a Copy of the Draft Bill of the
Constitution Amendment, introduced in Lok Sabha with the approval of the
President, on the 19th of November, passed on Wednesday the 28th
November, and in the Rajya Sabha on the 5th of December 2001. It will become effective from 17th
June 1995, after the President gives his ascent.
We also have put up the main Draft Speech for initiating the Discussions on the
Bill. Hope it will provide us all
with some insights. This Draft was
discussed in our Wednesday Meeting on the same day, i.e. 28th
November 2001. We had also given a
collection of Papers and Materials for similar discussions in Rajya Sabha. But for various understandable reasons, the
discussions were not very effective in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday the 5th
of December 2001, when it was passed to become an Amendment to the
Constitution.
Let us all thank, every one of our Leaders, Activists and
silent behind the screen workers.
Remaining in the Communities Service,
Yours – dalitindia