Dalits stage protest against Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal

New Delhi: Now, when the UPA government is negotiating with team Anna over the issue of Jan Lokpal, the voice of Anti-Anna camp is getting louder day by day. Several thoundands of Dalits and minorities staged a protest at India Gate in the capital city of New Delhi on Wednesday evening, to protest against what they termed as “unconstitutional” and “anti-Dalit” Jan Lokpal bill, proposed by Anna Hazare and his team. 

“Dalits and minorities of this country are against team Anna’s version of Jan Lokpal because it is extra constitutional and undemocratic. The Jan Lokpal, who won’t be elected by people, is more likely to be whimsical, corrupt, casteist and partial,” said Udit Raj, chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations.


While addressing the rally organized under the banner of “Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution”, Raj said that the backward and dalit section of this country were disturbed at the fact, that team Anna didn’t have any representative from the oppressed communities of India and thus they feared that the movement was also anti-Dalit in nature.

Raj, who is also the head of the Indian Justice Party said, that soon, he along with several other representatives from Dalit and minorities organizations, will present a Bahujan Lokpal Bill to the Standing Committee of the Parliament.

The speakers at the rally, which included MJ Khan of Peace Party, Ali Anwar Ansari of All India Pasmanada Muslim Mahaz, stressed that they will seek representation for Dalits and backward classes in the proposed Jan Lokpal and that’s why they will present the Bahujan Lopkal Bill.

The participants in the rally were chanting slogans like “Anna tum hosh men aao /Samvidhan se mat takrao, (Anna come to your senses/don’t dare try to temper with the Constitution)”

Talking to the participants to the rally gave one a feeling that dalits and minorities at least to an extent have got constitutional safeguards to protect their interests and any attempt by a dominant group challenging the Constitution and Constitutional processes and institutions like Parliament, makes them feel threatened.


Nikhat Khatoon, a primary school teacher, has traveled for three hours on bus to participate in this rally. She told TwoCircles.net that “Anna Hazare is right in fighting corruption but he can’t challenge the Constitution. There is neither Muslim leader nor any dalit representative with Anna Hazare, at least, I have never seen any one of them with him ever. I feel that Anna Hazare ji’s movement is being run by upper caste people.”

Khatoon’s views was echoed by several other participants who expressed at best skepticism towards Annna Hazare led “indefinite fast” and at best, strong criticism of the entire movement for Jan Lokpal.