Dalit organisations will assemble in Delhi on Sunday and will march towards Parliament at 11 am, said Ashok Bharti, Principal advisor of the National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR), an umbrella body of the Dalit organisations.
“We had given couple of calls. The first was for Parliament gherao by asking Parliament to exercise its supremacy in making the law. The role of the judiciary is to interpret the law, not to direct or how to enforce the law. We believe under the recent judgment, fundamental principal of the justice has been violated”, Mr Bharti told UNI.
He also alleged that the Union government is deliberately colluding with the forces to sabotage justice. “In this context we will gherao Parliament”, he said.
“On April 2, across the country people will be on the street. We will not resort to violence. There are 6000 blocks in the country and as we know around 3000 blocks will protest. Dalits and adivasis are making up 30 crore of the population. The authorities must listen to us before making or amending the laws”, he said.
Mr Bharti also indicated that the protesters will stop the ‘high end trains’ such as Jan Shatabdi, Rajdhani in some places.
“As I know the protesters will tried to block traffic on National Highways 24, 21 in some places. We will announce the further course of action at the end of the protest on April 2nd”, said Mr Bharti.
He added that he has sent invites and tweeted to leaders of all political parties including BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu, BJD chief Navin Patnaik to support the Dalit cause.
Several organisations, including Left parties have also announced support for the strike. The Communist Party of India (CPI) said in a statement that it will support the strike and appealed its caders to support the ‘bandh’ and other forms of protests across the country.
“Several Dalit organisations have given a call for bandh and other forms of actions on 2nd April throughout the country. The CPI expresses its support and solidarity with the just struggle of Dalit organisations”, the party said in a statement.
It also added that the Supreme Court verdict, which dilutes the provisions in the act, has come at a time when more attacks and atrocities are committed against Dalits and general.
“There is a need to review the judgement by bigger bench”, it said.