Dalits demand equal representation in before LS election

Lucknow, Oct 28: With the Lok Sabha polls knocking the doors, demand for equal representations for the castes within the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh was gaining grounds.

Now leaders of the Kori sub-caste of the Dalit community, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Kori-Koli Samaj have raised their voice against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in the state demanding political, economic and social rights for them.

The leaders of the community, who have decided to oppose the BSP candidates in the coming Lok Sabha polls, have also announced that they will support the party, which will fight for their cause.

Samaj's political awareness committee convenor Pradeep Kumar said population of 'Kori' was more than the 'Chamar,' but still the BSP government was neglecting the Kori's.

An advocate by profession, Mr Kumar said while the Kori were more than five per cent of the Dalit population in the state, the Chamar were merely four per cent, but still enjoying the 'cream' of the politics as the BSP leadership belonged to their sub-caste.

There are 65 sub-castes in Dalits with Kori.

''Our community people are spread out widely in the Bundelkhand, Agra, Saharanpur, Kanpur and Meerut regions, but still we lag behind in every field,'' he pointed out.

Mr Kumar said the government should also implement quota within quota for the most backward Dalits as recommended in the Mandal Commission report and the Samajik Nyay Samiti report submitted to the state government in 2001 when BJP president Rajnath Singh was the Chief Minister of UP.

Presently, the organisation was spreading its tentacles in the regions of Allahabad and its adjoining area of Kaushambi, Mirzapur and Fatehpur and were distributing pamplets among the people of the community to aware them about their rights.

According to the leaders of the organisation, the population of Kori community in each of the 80 parliamentary constituency ranges from 30,000 to 70,000. The Kori community is known as Koli in other parts of the country, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Besides demanding adequate reservation for the Kori community in the government jobs, education and other sectors, the organisation has asked setting up statues of Saint Kabir in all parts of the state and re-christianing Jhansi district in the name of great freedom fighter Jhalkari Bai.

UNI