rsdalal
February 12th, 2003, 08:15 PM
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=VHP+tries+to+draw+Rajasthan&id=35073
Shikha Trivedy
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 (Chakwada, Rajasthan):
With an eye on the assembly elections later this year, Hindutva organisations in Rajasthan are trying to co-opt Dalits by projecting a new militant identity. But in the face of persisting caste differences, tensions run high, prompting many Dalits to question such campaigns.
In September 2002, clashes broke out in Chakwada, a small village outside Jaipur, after upper caste Jats and Rajputs tried to stop Dalits from bathing in the community pond.
To brush aside such instances of caste animosities, in January the Vishwa Hindu Parishad held its first Trishul Diksha ceremony in the state in Chakwada.
VHP's choice of the venue was aimed at pacifying opposing groups as the Chakwada incident threatened to become a symbol of Dalit assertion, which the Hindutva organisations fear can divide the Hindu votes during an election year.
Dalits were given trishuls at the ceremony, which was the first of its kind in Rajasthan, which has historically been the land of Kshatriyas.
Divide and rule
But as caste tensions continue to simmer, there are some Dalits who have begun questioning this new militant identity being thrust on them.
"The upper castes want to use us. They hope we will use the trishul to fight their battles and prevent them from being arrested under the SC/ST Act," says a Dalit.
VHP leaders deny charges of first appropriating and then using Dalits through ceremonies like the Trishul Diksha. They assert that Dalits are already part of the Hindu mainstream.
"Just as sadhus give garlands to devotees the VHP gives trishuls. Dalits are part of the Hindu mainstream and so we do not believe in targetting them separately," says VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia.
Dalits account for 17 per cent of Rajasthan's population and can influence election results.
For the VHP, which is now eyeing Rajasthan as a potential area for its growth, it's a balancing act between wooing the lower castes without annoying its upper caste base.
According to the local leaders of the Bairwas, the traditional shoemakers who have led the struggle in Chakwada, the rightwing organisations are working a divide and rule policy on them.
"The Bairwas are more educated than the other Dalit castes and also have small landholdings. So we do not tolerate discrimination. The others are economically dependant on the upper castes in the village. So they are co-opted and used. Whenever there is a fight they are sent. Even in September, they were part of the mob that attacked us," says a Dalit in Chakwada.
The result is that today in Chakwada, despite the efforts of the administration, the village pond is being used only by the Bairwas. It is boycotted by both the Savarnas and other Dalits communities as caste equations continue to remain fragile and potentially explosive.
Shikha Trivedy
Wednesday, February 12, 2003 (Chakwada, Rajasthan):
With an eye on the assembly elections later this year, Hindutva organisations in Rajasthan are trying to co-opt Dalits by projecting a new militant identity. But in the face of persisting caste differences, tensions run high, prompting many Dalits to question such campaigns.
In September 2002, clashes broke out in Chakwada, a small village outside Jaipur, after upper caste Jats and Rajputs tried to stop Dalits from bathing in the community pond.
To brush aside such instances of caste animosities, in January the Vishwa Hindu Parishad held its first Trishul Diksha ceremony in the state in Chakwada.
VHP's choice of the venue was aimed at pacifying opposing groups as the Chakwada incident threatened to become a symbol of Dalit assertion, which the Hindutva organisations fear can divide the Hindu votes during an election year.
Dalits were given trishuls at the ceremony, which was the first of its kind in Rajasthan, which has historically been the land of Kshatriyas.
Divide and rule
But as caste tensions continue to simmer, there are some Dalits who have begun questioning this new militant identity being thrust on them.
"The upper castes want to use us. They hope we will use the trishul to fight their battles and prevent them from being arrested under the SC/ST Act," says a Dalit.
VHP leaders deny charges of first appropriating and then using Dalits through ceremonies like the Trishul Diksha. They assert that Dalits are already part of the Hindu mainstream.
"Just as sadhus give garlands to devotees the VHP gives trishuls. Dalits are part of the Hindu mainstream and so we do not believe in targetting them separately," says VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia.
Dalits account for 17 per cent of Rajasthan's population and can influence election results.
For the VHP, which is now eyeing Rajasthan as a potential area for its growth, it's a balancing act between wooing the lower castes without annoying its upper caste base.
According to the local leaders of the Bairwas, the traditional shoemakers who have led the struggle in Chakwada, the rightwing organisations are working a divide and rule policy on them.
"The Bairwas are more educated than the other Dalit castes and also have small landholdings. So we do not tolerate discrimination. The others are economically dependant on the upper castes in the village. So they are co-opted and used. Whenever there is a fight they are sent. Even in September, they were part of the mob that attacked us," says a Dalit in Chakwada.
The result is that today in Chakwada, despite the efforts of the administration, the village pond is being used only by the Bairwas. It is boycotted by both the Savarnas and other Dalits communities as caste equations continue to remain fragile and potentially explosive.