Low-caste leader forms a party 'for all India's oppressed groups'
When the most visible leader of India's low-caste Dalits abandoned Hinduism for Buddhism, he said it was because 'the upper castes treat us worse than cows, dogs, snakes'. Now Udit Raj has launched a new political party, saying that 'capturing political power is the only way Dalits can rise from the social heap'.
During a mass ceremony in New Delhi last year, Mr Raj, along with thousands of other Dalits, converted to Buddhism after shaving their heads, taking new vows and renaming themselves.
Mr Raj's new name, Udit, means 'one who has risen'.
At the time, he denied any political ambitions. But at the recent launch of his Justice Party, he announced he was resigning from his civil service job to pursue a political career.
The pursuit of power is essential for Dalits, Mr Raj said. Power 'can be a great force for change. Without power, you can't achieve much. Mind you, our party is not only for Dalits but for all oppressed groups', he said.
In a show of solidarity, several Muslim leaders shared the platform with Mr Raj. Their presence was significant. Studies of the Gujarat riots earlier this year revealed that for the first time Dalits joined hands with Hindu extremists in butchering Muslims.
In the past, Dalits rarely sided with their upper-caste tormentors. Mr Raj deplores this unprecedented collaboration.
For years now, Mr Raj has focused on converting Dalits to Buddhism. Among 80 recent Dalit converts were relatives of five low-caste men who were lynched last month over the skinning of a cow.
But now he is turning his attention to what he calls economic slavery. About 22 per cent of all government jobs are reserved for Dalits. With the privatisation of public-sector companies, Mr Raj fears these jobs will disappear. 'The new private owners will all be Brahmins. They will never give us jobs. So we want jobs reserved for us in the private sector too.'
Mr Raj's rival is Mayawati Kumari, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who has aligned herself with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When asked why Dalits need another party when they already have Ms Kumari's Bahujan Samaj Party, Mr Raj denounced her for being power-hungry and for selling out to the Brahmins of the BJP.
He also feels if India's upper castes can have numerous parties, then why should 165 million Dalits only have one party.
To critics who say Mr Raj could just as well have fought for Dalit interests within existing parties, he retorts that every party, including the communists, are in the grip of an upper-caste stranglehold.
An opposition Congress party politician, Salman Khursheed, disagrees - mainly because his party has historically claimed to represent Dalits and Muslims. 'I can't see how an exclusively Dalit party can succeed. The most he can achieve is to build a small niche.'
But Mr Raj's plans go beyond a hollow in the political landscape. He is fielding 30 to 40 candidates in next month's Gujarat elections and plans to fight in general elections scheduled for 2004.
