Dalit sammelan: SCs urged to unite under Sant Samaj

Our Correspondent

Garhshankar, September 12

A ‘Dalit sammelan’ was organised at Posi village under the leadership of Advocate Pankaj Kirpal, co-chairman, Punjab Pradesh Congress legal cell, and member, Shri Guru Ravidas Memorial Foundation, here on Saturday.

Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Shamsher Singh Dullo was the chief guest on the occasion. The function was attended by Sant Jaswinder Singh Dandian, Sant Surjit Das Dhada Khurd, Sant Major Das Haluwal, Sant Mahavir Tajewal, Sant Mahinderpal Pandava, Sant Tahil Das Nangal Khera, Sant Satnam Das Pandori Ladha Singh, Sai Monica Rattu, etc.

The saints appealed to the SC community to unite. They said the SC community constituted 40 per cent of the population in Punjab and if the entire SC community became united, then they would not have to seek help from the state governments, but they would be the government themselves.

Shamsher Singh Dullo said every political party had used the SCs only as vote-bank. He said despite being 40 per cent of the population, no Dalit was ever given a chance to become the state chief minister. He said the Congress government in the state had not done anything for SCs in the last four and a half years. Both the Chief Minister and the president were jats whereas the population of jats in the state was only 12 per cent. Apart from this, there were only three SC ministers in the Cabinet.

He said the announcement made by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal regarding SC Deputy Chief Minister was just a sham. “If Sukhbir Singh Badal was so concerned about SCs, he should resign from his presidency and appoint an SC as president of the Akali Dal. Also the BJP was now announcing the appointment of an SC as the Chief Minister, but the BJP should explain why they have not appointed a Dalit as the chief minister in any state of the country till date,” said Dullo.

He said with the demolition of Sri Guru Ravidas temple, Arvind Kejriwal’s anti-SC face had already been exposed.