‘Dalits in Rajasthan remain labourers at society’s base…with only 1-2% in govt jobs and 1% owning land’

What was your initial reaction to Ahuja purifying the temple?I dismissed it, knowing Ahuja’s history of offensive behaviour. He labelled Dalits as “demonic”, made derogatory remarks about JNU, and openly supported cow vigilantism. His actions weren’t surprising. However, when family, sisters, and friends called to offer support, I grew uneasy, reflecting on how a community still faces such targeting. It troubled me deeply, leaving me restless for two nights. One BJP functionary also called to say he disagreed with Ahuja’s statement. I cannot name him because that would put him in a spot. What did you make of Rajasthan BJP chief Madan Rathore calling Ahuja sanskari at the time of his suspension?Ahuja is a repeat offender, regularly making statements that violate India’s Constitution, yet BJP never disciplined him (before Sunday). Union home minister Amit Shah also failed to apologise for his remarks against Baba Saheb Ambedkar in Parliament. This mindset traces back to RSS, which, when the Constitution was enacted, opposed equal rights for women and marginalised groups. They resist women’s empowerment, and progress for backward classes. In Rajasthan assembly, I urged RSS to formally denounce caste discrimination and untouchability on its centenary. Everyone in the govt opposed me. Why? Was I wrong? Earlier, state education minister Madan Dilawar suggested a DNA test to verify a tribal leader’s Hindu lineage, reflecting RSS’s mentality.Rajasthan ranks third in Dalit atrocities after UP and MP. Recently in Sikar, a Dalit youth was abducted, subjected to casteist slurs, sexually tortured, and urinated on. Are you surprised?Govt inaction is baffling; law and order has collapsed in Rajasthan. I repeatedly raised Dalit atrocities with officials, but Dalits and backward classes aren’t priorities. This neglect fuels (caste-related) crime. In the assembly, I highlighted the high number of cases, yet no action followed. I felt caste dynamics intensely after entering politics, unlike in childhood. My father, a daily wage labourer-turned-army man, started a slate export business in 1976, which I later managed. We engaged with all communities, breaking bread together. But politics exposed deep caste consciousness, especially in rural areas. Some transcend it, but I never played the caste card. When BJP MLAs silenced me in the assembly, I didn’t frame it as the targeting of a Dalit. Casteism persists, though it is also true that if some perpetuate it, many don’t.What’s the way forward?Many Dalits in Rajasthan remain labourers at society’s base. Their progress through education or reservation unsettles some. BJP’s anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim, and anti-Sikh agenda poisons society, unlike Congress’s focus on equality. Empowerment is critical, starting with education. Congress govt opened English-medium schools and SC hostels to foster awareness and self-reliance, moving Dalits beyond manual labour. Yet, 90-95% of Dalits remain labourers, with only 1-2% in govt jobs and 1% owning land. Most rely on govt-provided homes, with no option but manual labour. Why demand reservation for SC students in the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship? Congress launched the scholarship for 500 students, but BJP cut it to 300. Now, only children of govt officials benefit. I advocate reservations for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, and Hindi-medium govt school students to ensure broader access for marginalised groups.Why, then, do many among Rajasthan’s 18% SC population support BJP?Historically, SCs aligned with Congress, but BJP’s communal narrative in the 2023 election drew them into the ‘Hindu’ fold. BJP’s Dalit deputy CM, Premchand Bairwa, and Union minister Arjun Meghwal lack real power. BJP even scrapped Bairwa’s home district, Dudu. Schemes for the poor, mostly Dalits, have stalled — medical services are weak, pensions and unemployment allowances delayed, and other programmes are closing. Congress, by contrast, had four Dalit cabinet ministers and a Dalit chief secretary. BJP’s shift from caste to communalism is a political tactic that hasn’t benefitted lower castes.Is the lack of a Dalit leadership causing SC voter attrition?I won’t say that. My party leadership appointed me as LoP in Rajasthan. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have supported me, especially through the Ahuja episode. Congress consistently champions equality. I am the youngest LoP in Rajasthan assembly’s history.Does Congress’s recent post about Rahul Gandhi with Kanshi Ram’s sister, Swarn Kaur, resonate at the grassroots?In politics, impact is unpredictable, evolving gradually. Actions like Ahuja’s temple “purification”, Dilawar’s remarks on STs, or Shah’s Ambedkar comment form a pattern shaping community perceptions. Kanshi Ram’s sister aligning with us carries weight in this context.