Dalit leaders pin hopes on NGOs meet

By M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD, AUG. 23. Now that the inclusion of caste-based discrimination in the official agenda of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) at Durban in South Africa is ruled out, dalit organisations and their leaders in the country have taken steps to raise the issue at the NGO Forum whose five- day meeting from August 28 will precede the main conference scheduled from September 1 to 7.

There will be 190 unofficial delegates from India, representing different Dalit/SC-ST organisations, to do this job at Durban's International Conference Centre where the WCAR and the NGO Forum are being held. These leaders also hope to go a little farther and influence the final WCAR resolutions or draw its attention to the caste issue if this is not possible by ``lobbying'', as officially provided, through ``caucus'' groups set up for different subjects. Besides, they will also seek support from 1,300-odd delegates expected from other nations.

According to the programme sent to the unofficial delegates by the WCAR preparatory committee, there will be restrictions on entry to the U.N. meet. But the dalit leaders say they can overcome this difficulty by using passes issued by the committee, one each to the NGOs.

Mr. N. Paul Diwakar, convener for National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) which took active part in mobilising public opinion for inclusion of caste in the official agenda, stated that 54 out of the 190 unofficial Indian delegates will stay back after the NGO Forum meeting and, using passes, take part in the WCAR conference. It is likely that the unofficial delegates may be given 10 minutes to speak from their seats, which ``means chance for at least five speakers for two minutes each''.

According to information available with the SC-ST organisations, most of the Indian unofficial delegates have already left for Durban or are on their way. Prominent among them are Mr. Kuldip Nayar, journalist, Mr. Praveen Rashtrapal and Mr. Prakash Ambedkar (Ambedkar's grandson), MPs from Gujarat and Maharashtra, Rev. Fr. S. Lourdu Swamy, secretary heading the SC- ST cell of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Mr. Ramdas Atawale and Mr. Dalit Ezhilmalai, dalit leaders from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

The Indian official team is headed by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Omar Abdullah. Mr. Ramaswamy and Mr. Veerendra Dayal, retired Supreme Court judges, will attend the meetings as observers of the National Human Rights Commission to ensure that decisions taken by the WCAR will be implemented in the country. An interesting aspect is that other BC organisations which usually identified themselves with SC/STs during any agitation on common objectives, kept off the Durban tour.

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