People will forget leaders like Jignesh Mevani, Hardik Patel soon: Ram Vilas Paswan

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Districbution Ram Vilas Paswan in a conversation with DNA talks about Dalit uprising in the country.

When agitations over dalit issues snowball into a major Opposition versus Govt slugfest, LJP chief Paswan, key dalit face in Modi government downplays the emergency of Jignesh Mevani as a short term phenomenon and stresses dalits are more concerned with basic issues.  Paswan backs simultaneous elections for Parliament and Assembly.

You have been into dalit politics for decades. How do you look at the one after another incident of dalit uprising, first in Una, then in UP. Why they are happening?

The biggest issue is the historical problem of social disparity. As long as casteism remains such incidents will keep happening. There are issues. Those in earlier generations (of dalits) used to adjust. The new generation is not ready to compromise and read to fight for honour. You must have seen whenever any religion came to India, people converted in block and most of those, who converted to either Islam or Christianity were from OBC and Dalit communities. Baba Saheb Ambedkar chose to embrace Buddhism after great deliberations, saying that while it was not in his hands to decide in which religion he will be born, he can very choose as which religion’s follower he will die. You may also have seen the entire dalit struggle is seek out a life of dignity and that is why they perhaps went with ruling side. During Muslim rulers, they adopted Islam, when British influence came, many converted to Christianity.

Quite recently, BSP chief Mayawati also threatened that she would embrace Buddhism. How do you look at that threat?

Will everybody become Baba Saheb Ambedkar? I do not attach any importance to what she said.

But then is not a sign of worry for BJP-led NDA, which has made attempts to reach out to dalits. Do dalit leaders like you in Government feel some discomfiture?

The work that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done in last three years for dalits in general and to honour to the legacy of  Baba Saheb Ambedkar, is a record of sorts in itself--be it the issue of asking banks to prepare dallit entrepreneur, giving women subsidised schemes under Ujjawala Yojana and getting them bank accounts. Besides memorial for Ambedkar, a Chair in his name in educational institutions and many more such steps.

If so much has been done, Why BJP is under target in all such agitations. Don’t you think it can play out against the BJP in coming elections in states and in 2019 general elections?

We need to reach the message more loudly. UPA government used to highlight even if any small step was taken for dalits, Here while more work is being done, it is not being highlighted as much. It is dalits, who are mainly the beneficiaries of schemes like Jan Dhan Yojna and Ujjawala. Since SC or Dalit name is not attached with the scheme, the message somehow is not going about the work being done by Modi government for them.

What more according to you needs to be done by the government to correct the perception among dalits.

I am chief of my party Lok Janshakti. My party believes that steps like doing away the roadblocks in reservation in promotion by doing a Constitutional amendment, providing reservation to dalits in private sector and even the judiciary (in the later by creating Indian Judicial Services) will send a big message among the dalits. The educated among dalits will benefit and we should not forget that the educated persons in any community are the opinion-makers.

After Pune, Jignesh Mevani addressed a rally in New Delhi. He was the one, who galvanised a dalit protest in Gujarat after Una dalit flogging. How do you see emergence of Mevani and young dalit leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad of the BHIM Army?

The incident of Una was highly condemnable, very unfortunate. But what Mevani is doing. He is now an MLA. He should raise dalit issues in Assembly there instead of hopping from Maharashtra to Delhi. New faces come from time to time. I do not take him very seriously. I heard there was not much crowd in Mevani’s rally in Delhi. The dalits are more concerned with their day to day issues and we are trying to address them.  Those who try to reap political benefits by provoking dalits will ultimately fail. These people have shot into limelight in a short span of time and should not forget they were leaders, who spent a life time raising their issues. In six months leaders like Mevani, Hardik Patel and others will be forgotten by people.

But are they not furthering the dalit cause.

If I being a dalit raise dalit issues, it’s not a great thing. We should remember that it was V P Singh, who was a Kshatriya got reservation for OBCs by implementing Mandal Commission, antagonising upper castes. Now many leaders from OBC have become Mandal messiahs.

But Isn’t the result in Gujarat way below expectations of BJP. Do you see some cause of concern for BJP in upcoming polls in 2018.

Unlike previous assembly polls in Gujarat, this time it was not an election to make Modi, the Chief Minister. Secondly Congress tried to fan casteism during polls. But despite all that and despite 22-years of rule of BJP in Gujarat, the party won the polls. In other states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the party is in power for lesser time and had strong Chief Ministers. NDA will win the polls.

Nitish Kumar has recently backed PM Modi’s pitch for simultaneous Parliament and Assembly polls. Are you comfortable with the idea of early assembly elections in Bihar for that purpose.

I fully back Nitish Kumar. Every year some or the other election is held and parties are busy in that, leaving little time for policy implementation. Besides it also creates a huge financial burden.

Do you foresee troubles in seat sharing in Bihar in Assembly polls as there are too many parties in NDA there.

Nitish Kumar’s joining back NDA has strengthened us. Seats will not be a problem as we will win more even if contest less. Nitish Kumar has an image in Bihar.

How do you look at Rahul Gandhi- Tejaswai Yadav relationship vis a vis a not so comfortable relationship of the former with Tejaswi’s father Lalu Prasad in past.

This is time of test for Rahul Gandhi, who had torn away an ordinance, which was supposed to give relief to convicted law makers including Lalu Prasad. If Rahul Gandhi has to do his politics with an image, he has to stay away from those involved in corruption. Earlier only Lalu was chargesheeted, now the cases are against all his family members including Tejaswi. The Congress- RJD relationship will break finally.

Also every time the RJD chief was jailed, his party benefitted politically. He has blamed NDA for jailing him.

That is wrong. First time when the RJD chief went to jail in fodder scam, H D Devegowda from United Front was the Prime Minister. This is also a myth that he has benefitted everytime he went to jail.

Why will people vote Modi government back to power in 2019? What reasons do you think can give NDA a second successive shot in power.

Why will people not vote NDA to power. Corruption has been checked under Modi government. The nation’s image in international fora has risen exponentially