Ramvilas Paswan speaks on Modi government, ‘image became anti-Dalit, but now it is not’

Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan claims that the Narendra Modi government will return in 2019.

He has said in the special interview to the BBC that till three months before the image of the Narendra Modi government was formed as anti-Dalit government, but now this image has changed completely.

On the recent changes in the SC-ST Act across the country, ranging from pride to Bihar politics, what is the opinion of Ram Vilas Paswan, read his complete interview: The SC-ST act has got a clear dispute in the entire country. Firstly, Dalits stopped India in protest against the change in it. You people also had protesters and recently the organizations of upper castes also stopped India. How do you see this whole dispute? This law has been for 29 years. This law has been running since 1989. There has never been any objection on this. During this time eight to eight prime ministers in the country will change First VP Singh, Chandrashekhar, then HD Deve Gowda, I Gujral, P V Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and now Narendra Modi. There was no change But the Supreme Court gave a decision on March 20, 2018 which was to change the origin of this law. AK Goel has decided that antiseptic bell can also be given in a lawsuit filed under the S-ST Act. There is no political party about this decision, but new dalit organizations who have come to the streets have come to the streets. However, the government had filed a review petition. But on April 2, there was a violent violence in India, in which 12 people died. 10 Dalits were killed, hundreds were arrested. After this violence, we have put pressure on the government. Because the Dalit organizations had said that they would stop again on 9th August. But the Prime Minister created a committee under the chairmanship of the Home Minister, I was also involved in it. It was decided that if the decision of the court does not come, then we will bring the ordinance. After this the government called a special cabinet meeting and passed the bill. After that, which is the original Act, it is the same. No comma has been added, nor has it been deducted. This whole dispute is being seen from political eyeglasses. Some people say that this entire controversy was raised by the BJP.

Why BJP will pose a controversy. The opposition has worked to provoke both factions.

The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party’s people have been provoked by the Dalits on April 2. Their people are also closed While this is Mayawati who had made provision in her government on May 20, 2007 that the SC-ST Act was misused. Therefore, the FIR should not be registered till the higher authorities have verified. So dual politics is this. Promote Dalit children on one side and incite the upper castes on the other. We have always been saying that there are 15 percent reservation for economically backward classes also. Paswan, you are the leader of the Dalits. But the government in which you are minister has become an image of a dalit-minority anti-government. We had also said that this image has to be changed. Correcting this image is our job. You see that this government has made memorials at four places connected with Baba Saheb. In London where they used to buy the house they bought. Ambedkar Foundation has been created. All the policies are for the poor. How can such a person be anti-Dalit? Opponents have tried constantly under the guise of RSS that they can make Narendra Modi anti-Dalit. But today it is the situation that people are saying that Narendra Modi is against the upper caste. This government is against upper castes. Now this promotion is happening. But Ramvilas ji, at the time of this government, there have also been cases of oppression of Dalits and minorities across the country? We do not believe it. The statistics of torture have already been there. If atrocities have increased, why should you stop the SC-ST Act? Withholding this act will increase the oppression. That’s what we believe. However, you also see that a leader like Ramvilas or Mayawati was not on the road in the India bandh on April 2. The dalits were on the streets themselves because these young chiragas belong to Paswan, who can not tolerate torture like Ramvilas, they can break but are not ready to bow. The generation of dalits is changing but your Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued a guideline in which the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes are being asked to replace the Dalit term?

On one word you will say that the government is anti-Dalit.

But why is this objection The objection is, we also had. When Baba Saheb Ambedkar made a constitution, he wrote that Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes Since then, these people started to be called dalit. Dalit does not mean the schedule is cast. Anybody can be a Dalit, it can be of a higher caste, who is suffering. Dalits can not write caste when you write. But in the constitution you will see that all castes are written. Scheduled castes, scheduled tribe are also written in government schemes. In Bihar, the Mahatlite was derived from the word Dalit. This was not possible from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes. So it is my point to say that instead of giving up the case, which goes on in the official files, let the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes stay there and let the Dalits run in the language of common speaking. Paswan, you have an identity politics of the weather scientist too. We are talking about this before the elections, where will you and your party be in 2019?

We did not compromise wherever we went. Whether VP was with Singh, whether he was with Atal ji.

There were three three amendments in the constitution at the time of Atal ji, in the promotion of reservation. It has not happened that there has been a government, then we have gone there. I have said three years ago to Modi’s government that there is no vacancy for PM post. I have also said that the opposition should make preparations for 2024. This is what I am saying even today. The party does not have the position of Leader of the Opposition, is not ready to accept that a leader, what will Fight. Some leaders of the government that you are talking about are saying about changing the constitution, you have been the leader in the Constitution, then the question also becomes how long you will be with them. One question is that BJP’s national executive has told you to rule for 50 years, the way your politics has been held, you would have been uncomfortable with these statements? I am uneasy about the constitution and special reservation. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly said that reservations on his body can change. It is not going to change in seven births. It is the constitution given by Baba Saheb which is becoming stronger every day, as far as it is about 50 years of rule, it is to decide the people. There is nothing in our hands in it.   Paswan, you became an MLA in 1969, you have also seen Indira ji as the Prime Minister in politics and have worked with several Prime Ministers since then, in such a manner, tell a special message of Narendra Modi If so, what will you tell? I have worked with six-six Prime Ministers who do work with whom I do not complain. And anyway I will write a book on my experience with these Prime Ministers. As far as Narendra Modi is concerned, I would say only that they do not get anything other than work. They keep on repeating the point of work all the time. This is a unique thing.