Inclusion and the right to dignity

Inclusion and the right to dignity

Context

The onus of battling discrimination must not fall on the shoulders of Dalits alone

Recent events

In January 2016 the death of Rohith Vemula, in July 2016 the public attacks on Dalits in Una, and earlier this year attacks on celebrations of the historic Bhima-Koregaon battle in Maharashtra

Questions raised by the author

We need to go beyond headlines and ask why a vulnerable community took to the streets

• What has gone wrong with the project of justice that independent India initiated with a flourish? What has gone wrong with our own sensibilities?

Why, as per the author, Dalit are so desperate?

Uneven results

Mixed results of affirmative action policies

Unrealised justice project

Till today what caste we belong to continues to profile social relations, codify inequalities, govern access to opportunities and propel multiple atrocities

Shrugging off indifference by other citizens for Dalit causes

It is only when we concentrate on the construction of a political consensus in society, that the uncomfortable distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’ that bedevils much of the case for remedial justice will dissolve

Discrimination continues still

• The ideology of discrimination continues to dominate despite a multitude of constitutional provisions, laws, affirmative action policies and political mobilisation
• The politics of voice can achieve a great deal in the public sphere, but if the ideology of discrimination continues to shape social relations, much of the gains are lost

Conclusion

One of the most essential goods human beings are entitled to, the right to respect, has not been realised

What is affirmative action?

• Affirmative action policies are those in which an institution or organization actively engages in efforts to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups
• Affirmative action policies often focus on employment and education