Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani on Thursday said that he was not joining any political party for the 2017 assembly elections in Gujarat, but at the same time, he clarified that he was open to meeting Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to discuss the 17 demands raised by the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch and other organisations.
Mevani alleged that BJP's mentality was anti-dalit and anti-democratic, and that the party was not interested in any talks with dalits. Mevani said the Congress should clear its stand on the 17 demands raised by dalit organisations and for that he was willing to meet Gandhi.
For more than a week, there have been speculations in the media about meeting between Gandhi and Mevani. A fortnight ago, state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki had invited Mevani, OBC leader Alpesh Thakore and Patel stir leader Hardik Patel to join hands to defeat the BJP. While Thakore has since joined the Congress, Patel and Mevani have made it clear that they are anti-BJP.
Mevani said that he would meet Gandhi, not for getting a ticket for himself, but for the larger interest of 46 lakh dalits of Gujarat. He said that he would meet Gandhi along with a delegation of representatives from various dalit organisations. The demands include BPL cards, government jobs, five acre land for victims of Una flogging incident, appointing public prosecutor in each district as per the provisions of the Atrocity Act and to compensate the kin of manhole workers who have lost their lives while cleaning manholes as per the Supreme Court guidelines. Even if Congress meets the demands put up by the dalit organisations, Mevani clarified that he will not be contesting the elections or joining any political party. One of their key demands is also to look into the issue where land allotment to landless dalits has remained merely as a promise on paper.
