In next few days, on Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti almost every political party would start chanting about Dr. Ambedkar and almost every Indian politician would shower flowers on the statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Governments would make tall promises for the so-called lower castes and would try to appropriate Babasaheb Ambedkar once again. A once in a year event – Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti.

After a few days of Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti, everyone will forget and lower castes and minority communities will continue to suffer. This is what is going on since forever!

While the institutional murders of Rohith Vemula and Delta Meghwal created the uproar to some extent, especially among Dalit-Bahujan communities, these cases are just a fraction of atrocities or crimes committed against Dalits. According to NCDHR report, 2008, Police statistics averaged over the past five years show that

Every week –

13 Dalits are murdered,

5 Dalits’ homes or possessions are burned,

6 Dalits are kidnapped or abducted;

Every day –

3 Dalit women are raped,

11 Dalits are beaten up; and

Every 18 Minutes a Crime is Committed Against a Dalit

This is despite the fact that many Dalits do not report crimes for fear of reprisals by the dominant castes. Despite twenty-seven officially registered atrocities being committed against Dalits every day, the police often prevent Dalits from entering police stations, neglect their cases and even partake in torture.

The problem is not the law but the lack of political will, at local and national levels, to apply these laws. In 2006, the official conviction rate for Dalit atrocity cases was just 5.3%. So, delivering no justice for Rohith Vemula, Delta Meghwal and in many others cases should not surprise anyone.

These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg; caste discrimination affects so-called lower castes in day to day life. In last 10 years or so rapes on Dalit women in Gujarat, a hub of Hindutva politics, have increased more than 500%.

It is Brahminical propaganda that rich and educated Dalits do not face discrimination but reality is different. No matter educated or not, lower castes face discrimination in the hands of so-called upper castes those are ruling India for years and years. India’s first Dalit President, K. R. Narayanan, was similarly made fun of in the media. Recently, Justice Karnan raised the issue of caste discrimination in the judiciary.

A country where Hindutva organizations kill anyone speaking against their supremacy, it becomes more necessary to raise voice for justice and equality by those who believe in such thoughts. India, where we don’t allow fellow human beings to enter the same temples and where we worship animals and plants but mistreat fellow human beings, it is utmost important to resist.

A country, where your future is decided even before you are born and country, where parents demand “Brahmin sperms” to have babies, a country where parents teach their 2-3-year-old children about their caste, a country where you marry, dine or live among your own caste groups, a country Dalit students in schools are purified by sprinkling cow urine on them etc. that country is doomed and governments have failed citizens and democracy is dead.

India, where Manuwadis are killing constitution every passing day and are changing laws which would make living for liberals in India difficult is a failed state.

A country where caste system decides everything, caste system which Dr. Ambedkar denounced saying

“The castes are anti-national. In the first place because they bring about separation in social life. They are anti-national also because they generate jealousy and antipathy between caste and caste. But we must overcome all these difficulties if we wish to become a nation in reality. For fraternity can be a fact only when there is a nation. Without fraternity, equality and liberty will be no deeper than coats of paint.”

Further, Dr. Ambedkar also noted that till the time Indians are divided into the thousands of castes, India can’t become a nation.

“How can people divided into several thousands of castes be a nation? The sooner we realize that we are not as yet a nation in the social and psychological sense of the world, the better for us.” – Dr Ambedkar

Annihilation of Caste should be read in the parliament as the true tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on his 126th birth anniversary – Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti. And if his insight into problems of India is accepted, it is important to act on the solutions he prescribed for the unity of India, and that is the annihilation of the scriptures that justify caste system and degradation of Indian women.

It is a high time that leaders those who believe in Dr Ambedkar’s ideology should come forward and demand that Annihilation of Caste be read in the Parliament on Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti and let India, as well as the world, know how to fight barbaric caste system that has infiltrated to all the religions and Indians have carried and spread it throughout the world. Reading Annihilation of Caste at Parliament on Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti would be the real tribute to the legend. Not only reading but accepting his ideas on tackling caste system and caste discrimination.

Will India ever rise and fulfill the dreams of Babasaheb Ambedkar and celebrate Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti differently this year?

The caste system is the biggest threat to the democracy in India and it should be tackled one priority basis. Otherwise just throwing a few flowers on the picture of Dr. Ambedkar wouldn’t solve the issues and problems that caste system has created in India.