Holding Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliated outfits responsible for the murders of Gauri Lankesh, M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, Dalit activist Rajaratna Ambedkar, the great-grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, demanded that the government impose a ban on all right-wing Sangh Parivar outfits led by the RSS.
“All the accused so far arrested in Gauri Lankesh and other rationalists’ murder cases belonged to right-wing outfits such as Sanatan Sanstha. Banning those organisations that are directly linked to these murders alone wouldn’t help. Since they are the wings of RSS, a non-registered organisation, we demand the government to ban the RSS itself along with its affiliated organisations,” he told mediapersons here on Saturday. He was here to participate in a public rally against the recent burning of a copy of the Constitution near Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
“RSS never accepted the Constitution drafted by B.R. Ambedkar. It has its own Manusmriti-based Constitution. It has been opposing Ambedkar-Constitution which is committed to safeguarding the interests of marginalised sections. BJP leaders have been talking against the Constitution and Narendra Modi, who became the Prime Minister thanks to the same Constitution, never utters a word. He did not open his mouth even when a copy of the Constitution was burnt right outside Parliament.”
Referring to the Union government’s recent decision of rejecting UAE’s financial aid for relief and rehabilitation in flood-hit Kerala, Mr. Rajaratna criticised Mr. Modi for accepting foreign funds for his party. “Prime Minister doesn’t have any problem when his party accepts huge funds from foreign sources. He does have a problem when a country offers money for taking up relief and rehabilitation work in flood-hit areas. It shows how least the BJP is concerned about the people of this country.”
Caste-based reservations
Pointing to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for ending caste-based reservation and introducing economic-status-based reservations in its place, Mr. Rajaratna asserted that caste-based reservations need to continue as long as castes and caste-based discrimination continue to exist.
“We too don’t want caste-based reservations. We want a society free from castes where the question of caste-based reservation doesn’t arise. Even President Ram Nath Kovind is discriminated against in Jagannath Temple in Odisha, because of his caste and nothing else. Caste-based discrimination is a reality and caste-based reservation is a requirement as long as the former exists. Mr. Bhagwat wants to keep castes and caste-based discrimination, but get rid of caste-based reservations.”
Mr. Rajaratna also called for a uniform education system where all children, irrespective of their socio-economic status, sit together and learn. “Our priority should be One India – One Education, and not One India – One Election. We want a uniform education system where the children of President of India or Chief Minister of a State and that of an ordinary person at the bottom of the society sit together to learn,” he said.
Senior Dalit leader Vittal Doddamani and others were present.
