MP Pratibha Dhanorkar urges Bahujans to unite, says country and Constitution survive only if vote does

Bahujan Vichar Manch organised a Kojagiri Snehmilan function in Chandrapur, where MP Pratibha Dhanorkar appealed to the Bahujan community to unite. "If the vote survives tomorrow, only then will the country and the Constitution survive," she said. Heads of various social and political organisations, councillors and a large number of ordinary citizens attended.

Dhanorkar said the country and the state were in a deeply worrying atmosphere of lawlessness. According to her, the values of democracy were being trampled and the rights of Bahujans were being plundered. She said this from the stage.

She criticised the state government over reservation. Dhanorkar said the Maharashtra government was striking at reservation and the rights of Bahujans in a highly dictatorial manner. She said that earlier everyone got an equal chance in the open category on merit, but under this government the rules had been changed unjustly through the back door. These policies, she said, attack the future of young Bahujans. She said there was an urgent need to set aside all divisions of caste and sub-caste, unite in a strong "vajramushti" (clenched fist) and take to the streets in strong protest.

MLA Sudhakar Adbale expressed regret over the present condition of the Bahujan community. He said that instead of staying together as Bahujans, people had splintered into castes and sub-castes. Because they were not organised, they did not even realise how much and what kind of injustice was being done to them, he said. According to Adbale, the community had failed to raise its voice firmly to protect its rights. If it wished to live with self-respect, he said, there was no way other than to bury the walls of caste and come together under one roof as Bahujans.

Recalling the old struggle, Dilip Choudhari said history could not be forgotten. The form of injustice and atrocities against the oppressed in the past might have changed today, he said, but the thinking behind the exploitation remained the same. He said platforms such as Bahujan Vichar Manch would play a very important role in stopping unauthorised changes to the Constitution and policies that endanger the country.

Suryakant Khanke said Bahujan Vichar Manch was a sincere effort to bring all sections of society together. He said that until the Bahujan community took to the streets and struggled for its legitimate rights, those in power and the administration would keep ignoring its problems. According to Khanke, there was now no option but an intense struggle to protect the rights given by the Constitution, defend reservation and secure the future of the coming generation.

Among those present were former MLA Devrao Bhandekar; Aniruddha Wankar, Maharashtra state president of the Scheduled Caste Congress; Malekar, president of the Kunbi community; Suryakant Khanke, convener of Bahujan Vichar Manch; Dr Dilip Kamble; floor leader Surendra Adbale; Kunda Jenekar, Mahila Congress rural district president; Shyamkant There, OBC rural Congress district president; Sohel Raza, Minority Congress district president; Chanda Vairagade, Mahila Congress city district president; Anil Narule, Chandrapur Congress tehsil president; Dr Sanjay Ghante; Balveer Singh Gujar; and Ajgar Ali. Former councillor Gopal Amritkar conducted the programme, and Professional Congress district president Ramkrishna Kondra proposed the vote of thanks.