Twin Campaign for Land and for Electoral Reforms
REDS, Dalit Parliament, Dalit Panchayat Movement and Booshakthi Vedike
The year 2010 started in REDS with intensive planning for welcoming the Dalit New Year on 10 January. All Coordinators of the Dalit Panchayat Movement and the Booshakthi Vedike spent their energies and imagination together to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Declaration of Ambedkar Era. It was done on 10 January 2000 in a large gathering of more than 42000 people in Tumkur. Prakash Ambedkar came to Tumkur to make the declaration.
During the 10th Celebration the Dalit Parliament has decided to push forward to major agenda of the Ambedkar Yuga.
1. Campaign for 5 acres of Land
REDS, Dalit Panchayat Movement, Dalit Parliament and Booshakthi Vedike have recovered more than 6855 acres of land during this decade. However, the agenda was to demand from the government a policy for providing 5 acres of land to each Dalit family living in rural areas. We had to keep waiting because of the political uncertainty that the State of Karnataka was facing continuously. But now we have decided to go ahead irrespective of the political situation in the State.
2. Campaign for Proportionate Electoral System
This Campaign was part of the Ambedkar Yuga declaration. Now the Campaign for Electoral Reforms in India (CERI) has been formally launched in many States of India. The Campaign has also been launched in Nepal. The Campaign in India has made great strides. The Dalit Parliament in Tumkur now has decided to intensify the Campaign for Proportionate Electoral System in Karnataka along with CERI.
3. Receiving Dalitism
About 800 young Dalit women and men have decided to receive Dalitism as their way of life in the public functions in their taluks. Dalitism has been the strong foundation of ideology that has changed the course of Dalit liberation in Tumkur District and now is slowly making headway into many other Districts of Karnataka. It is our spirituality that lays a strong foundation for Dalits to draw strength from deep within. Instead of eternally blaming other for all that happens to us and instead of waiting for an external saviour Dalitism strongly advocates a basic faith in our own potential for designing the path of our liberation and development.
The Campaign Programmes
Signature collection has already reached half way to collect one hundred thousand each for Land and for Electoral Reforms. Ministers,
Instead of having a huge central programme in Tumkur Town or in Bangalore the Dalit Parliament has decided to decentralize the campaign and spread it out into all the Taluks of Tumkur District. Each taluk will mobilize a minimum number of 5000 Dalits to pressurize the Central Government for Electoral Reforms and the State Government for 5 acres of land. The following are the dates of events that will take place at the taluk level.
11 January 2010 - Pavagada Taluk
20 January 2010 - Madhugiri Taluk
22 January 2010 - Sira Tauk
23 January 2010 - Gubbi Taluk
26 January 2010 - Launch of CERI Manifesto at Civil Society Summit
02 February 2010 - Koratagere Taluk
10 February 2010 - Tumkur Taluk
The other Taluks will follow suit in the course of time.
The programmes in the taluks will have the three major dimensions. Elected Members, Bureaucrats and Dalit leaders will be special guests to receive the Campaign petitions and the Signatures. These will be later presented to the District Collector in Tumkur on 10 February. A special delegation will also meet the Governor of Karnataka at a later date to submit the books that will contain all 200,000 signatures. In all, more than 35000 people will assemble in this first phase of the Campaign.
We invite all of you to join the Dalits of Karnataka in this major Campaign. You may choose any of the dates mentioned above to join our people and express your support and solidarity. Also you can witness the way Dalit people have taken their future into their hands and have twisted the course of history that was determined for them to become the makers of their history. This is a history that will provide unlimited space for all people. It is in this provision of space that Dalits themselves will become leaders and take the authority to govern this nation, if not in the near future at least in the distant future. But that journey has started in right earnest and we don't think anyone can stop this march of Dalit liberation.
--
Mrs. Jyothiraj
Director
Rural Education for Development Societyt
REDS Road, Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102, Karnataka, India
Ph: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++91-9880184667
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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