NEW DELHI: Members of the Forum of Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe MPs, which met here, were united in expressing concern about atrocities on SCs and STs but appeared to be out of tune with each other on their earlier resolution demanding a Dalit as President.
Forum members who spoke on the first-day of the two-day convention tended to gloss over the demand for an SC/ST President. Probably in deference to Congress BJP members he said they have to abide by their parties’ stand on the matter. Even Janata Dal leader Ram Vilas Paswan, who is known to be a hard-liner on the issue, made only a cursory reference, saying that if people really believed that the President ship for an SC/ST candidate was no big deal then “why don’t they give it to us?”
But the issue could become a bone of contention when the political resolution which deals with power-sharing by Dalits comes up for discussion. It had become evident that at least the hard-liners like Paswan would make a last ditch effort to have the earlier resolution of the Forum calling for a Dalit President reiterated by the convention. But Congress leaders like Forum Convener Arvind Netam, former Home Minister Buta Singh and Mukul Wasnik seemed reluctant about it and the matter was left to be decided later.
The Forum nevertheless presented a completely united picture while discussing and adopting the two separate resolutions on the socioeconomic situation and on the continuing atrocities on Dalits, Wasnik summed up the first day’s mood when he observed “for two days at least we are members of the Forum. “ He added that they had decided to rise above their political affiliations in the duration.
Newspersons met the leaders after the first day’s proceedings and questioned them closely on the subject, Present at the impromptu press meet were Buta Singh, Mukul Wasnik and H. Hanumanthappa of the Congress and Ram Vilas Paswan of the Janata Dal.
It was Hanumanthappa who had on March 11 sponsored the earlier resolution that an SC/ST candidate should be nominated as President. When asked about speculation that differences had developed over the resolution, he retorted: “There is no speculation. We stand by the earlier resolution.”
He denied further that the Congress members of the Forum were insisting on its dilution,
Hanumanthappa clarified that the resolution they had earlier adopted had put forth a demand before the nation “It is for the nation to fulfill it.”
Buta Singh also maintained that the Forum would stand by the decision it had taken earlier. But he added, “We’ll leave it to the political parties to implement the resolution. And we’ll put pressure on our respective political parties to implement it.”
He said, however, that the political resolution which would be introduced would not include a reference to the nomination of an Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidate for the President’s post.
This was strongly denied by Paswan later. “Show me the copy of the resolution. It has not been prepared yet. We’ll sit together and prepare the political resolution,” he told newspapers.
Wasnik agreed with Paswan and admitted that the militant resolutions would be prepared.
Paswan also said that the Forum stood by the resolution: The Forum has no right to change the resolution which has already been passed, we might reiterate it.”
The Janata Dal leader said that almost all the speakers at the convention avoided referring to any political leader or to any political party.
Wasnik agreed and added that politics was by and large, kept out of the deliberations, Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party was almost the only exception when she chose to name former Premier V.P.Singh for the hanging of a Jatav boy by the Jats in Mathura during the National Front regime.
The Kumher carnage had taken place just about 75 km from the site of the Mathura killings and if the government had then brought the guilty to book, perhaps this could have been avoided she said.
It was Dautam of the Congress who came to Singh’s rescue.
Whatever people might say, V.P. Singh’s name was on everyone’s lips”, he declared to appreciative applause from Paswan,
Despite the bonhomie, the Congress members of the Forum were a trifle defensive, H. Hanumanthappa said if anyone wanted to politicize the Forum, they would oppose the attempt.
Was V.P.Singh politicizing it? “What else is he doing?” asked Hanumanthappa.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1992
