325 people gathered at the Ambedkar Dharamshala near SD College in Panipat (Haryana) on 29th December 2002, for a Convention against increasing caste oppression organized by CPI (ML)-New Democracy. The audience was drawn from Punjab, Delhi and a large section from Panipat town and surrounding villages of the district. This was the first open meeting on this issue in this district after the Jhajjar incident on Dusshera day and the subsequent incident of beating up of two dalit youths who were skinning a dead calf on Diwali day, in this district itself.

The Convention was conducted by Com. P.P. Kapoor, Secretary of the Panipat District Committee of the Party. Introducing the topic, he related the main aspects of the Jhajjar incident and highlighted caste oppression as a feature of Indian society. The first speaker was Ram Kumar Bajaj (District President of Dalit Sena), who in his brief speech stressed that the poor and deprived should get full rights. Com. Kulwinder (CPI (ML) - New Democracy speaker from Punjab) briefly described various fighters against casteism and pointed out that despite all reformists, caste oppression remains a reality. The crux is who has control over the means of production. The issue of feudalism itself was not even discussed at the Dalit Sammelan organized in Bhopal. The question of land distribution was raised by the struggles of Telangana and Tebhaga where among dalits too, so many leaders came to the fore in struggle. He criticized the Hindutva Govt. and the ‘New’ Economic Policies, which were bringing down the economic status of dalits, removing hospitals and education even further from them by privatization. He said Dullena was a very big incident, which should have been the issue of struggle and discussion by the whole country, but those who have a monopoly of Dalit politics betrayed their supporters. He again reminded the audience that the question of caste oppression can not be fought without touching the core issues of land and egalitarian society.

Pran Ratnagar of the Dalit Nyay Andloan congratulated the Party for this ‘historic’ meeting. He explained the issues of reservations and pointed out that only upper caste Hindus attacked the Mandal recommendations in the name of being 'deprived’ while minorities did not. He asserted that the minorities and the dalits and poor will ensure that India remains secular and will not allow Togadia’s dream of a Hindu Rashtra to come true. Shri Batla of Rashtriya Garib Dal asserted the importance of struggle in his brief but topical speech.

Com. Ashish Mittal (Secretary, UP State Committee of CPI(ML) - New Democracy) pointed out that Hinduism is the only religion within which there is birth based categorization. Focusing on the experience of BSP rule in UP, he said it must be assessed if Dalit Govt. means liberation for Dalit masses, and asserted that such a liberation is not possible without changing the system.

He gave several examples of violence on dalits under Mayawati Govt. and said she had helped landlords by decreeing that no cases would be booked under Harijan Act except in rapes and murders. Complaints of dalits are not recorded at police stations in UP. They have no better political rights than in other parts of the country.

When Mayawati was striving for power, she raised the issue of govt. land being dalit land and emphasized education, unity and struggle. Dalits responded, because she was well aware these were their needs. But now that BSP is in power it has forgotten the land question and only emphasizes on attaining state power. The BSP programme specifically attacks communism saying some people believe it is the answer but it will not succeed in the country of ‘manuwad’. He emphasized the need for land struggle and for general struggles including against caste oppression.

Shri Fakir Chand Lahore, a BJP member who resigned from that Party due to its stand on Dullena spoke about his experiences. Shri Anil Chamadiya (Janhastakshep member and Journalist) gave powerful expression to the complexities of the question. He spoke of the Dravid struggle of Tamil Nadu and said after 50 years the result is that dalits still can not wear chappals in some parts and now conversions are banned. The sole Hindu Rasthra in Nepal is the poorest country in the world, dalits still do not sit on beds and dalit Nepali women are forced into prostitution. This is the face of the ‘Ram Raj’ of Hinduism. He pointed out that if we fail to understand the importance of Dullena we will miss the essence of fascism – that the death of a cow was created where only a dead cow existed and 5 people in police custody were handed over to the public for lynching. The central Govt.’s enquiry team implicates only the police and the state Govt.’s team absolves it. Only one officer has been transferred for that incident and the truth about the ‘arrests of the guilty’ will soon be clear. He said the biggest section of dalits was the landless and agricultural labour and those who advocate reservations to end caste oppression never speak about the peasantry. The economic basis of caste oppression must be discussed, but when it is discussed dalit leaders say they ‘smell communism’. We must remember that a dalit representative is not necessarily the spokesperson of dalits. We must know that the maximum number of dalits who died in struggles were communists, the maximum people who died in struggles for dalits were communists and the maximum struggles for dalits have been waged by communists.

Local dalit leader Ravinder Punia spoke emotionally about the Panipat situation and asserted that today’s battle was between the rich and poor. Other important speakers were Dharmpal, Secretary of Dalit Sahitya Academy and Shri Nagra, ex-MP, from Lok Samaj Party who described his own experiences in Jhajjar after the lynching. Shri Jaspal Singh Siddhu (Janhastakshep member and journalist with UNI) criticized the bogey of terrorism under which all movements were being crushed by Hindutva forces.

The last speaker was Com. Aparna (Secretary Delhi Committee of the Party). She stressed the importance of Jhajjar incident in aiding us to outline the entire Hindutva ideology with its anti-woman, anti-minority, anti-dalit and anti-democratic content. She also showed how the imperialists were abetting these Hindutva forces that were dividing and attacking the people while pushing through an imperialist agenda. Hence there was need for solidarity of struggles of all sections against these fascist forces.

She pointed to the need to explain the content of the so-called ‘Dalit Samaj’ – that over three-fourth of it was the landless and poor peasantry of India and the working class in the cities. For them the central question was of land and the struggle against feudalism. The Mandal Commission’s first recommendation on land distribution and land reforms as central to ending dalit exploitation is never mentioned by any forces other than communist revolutionaries. It was Telangana and Naxalbari that put the question of land on agenda and these struggles empowered the dalits and girijans. Land reform laws were pushed on agenda only due to these and yet only 1.2% of cultivable land has been distributed.

She also pointed out that the Indian Constitution upheld the right of private property, and the reservation it speaks of was earlier being implemented by the British. While struggling against caste oppression, while demanding arrests of the guilty of Jhajjar and opposing caste exploitation, it is the revolutionary peasant movement led by CPI(ML) which can ensure land, and a new society – both of which are prerequisites to end caste oppression.

The venue and the route were decked up with red flags and party banners as well as several posters. All participants left the venue enthused and also educated by the various aspects touched upon by the speakers.