THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jignesh Mewani, the young Dalit leader from Gujarat on Saturday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to distribute surplus land to landless Dalits, tirbals and OBCs if he was their true well-wisher. Let Mr Modi make this declaration at the BJP National Council meeting in Kozhikode, he told this newspaper. “About 95 per cent Dalits and adivasis in Gujarat are landless. If land can be allotted to Adani, Ambani then why can it not be allotted to SC,ST and OBC? Why has the tiller been left without land,” he asked.
He said the Rail Roko agitation in October will demand land for the landless. “We demand that the government should distribute all wasteland to the landless Dalits, adivasis and OBCs. There is a provision in the law in Gujarat to distribute such land to landless,” he said. Mr Jignesh said the PM’s concern for Dalits and adivasis was a sham.
“During his 13 years tenure as chief minister of Gujarat more than 14,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits and tribals were reported in the state. He has not visited even a single victim’s family. I dare him to prove me wrong. If he does that I am prepared to call off my agitation,” Mr Jignesh said. The Gujarat leader said the anti-Dalit mentality of Mr Modi can be gauged by the fact that the BJP held a dialogue with Patels, announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore and even promised reservations, but was not ready to even talk to Dalits to resolve their issues.
“Modi will boast about many things before people of Kerala. I am visiting Kerala next month to expose his ‘Goebbelsian’ Gujarat model of development,” he said. He said there were no differences with the Left, particularly CPM. “But I cannot approve of the continuous discrimination and attack faced by autorichskaw driver Chitra at the hands of CPM in Kannur,” he said. “Not just Ambedkarites, but all progressive, democratic and liberal forces should challenge fascist BJP rule, its anti-farmer and anti-working class policies,” he said.
