The newly formed National Dalit Front (NDF) headed by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and aimed primarily to check the rise of BSP supremo Mayawati held its first convention on Wednesday with a call to Dalits to unite for their rights. Three Dalit leaders — LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, RPI leader and MP Ramdas Athawale and Indian Justice Party chief Udit Raj — have come together to form the NDF. Though the leaders have stressed that the organisation was apolitical and aimed at uniting Dalit outfits scattered across the country under one umbrella, it is being widely believed that the threat from Mayawati has brought these leaders together. The Mayawati factor was quite clear at the meeting with every speaker underlining that the BSP had gone astray and was serving the cause of “Manuwadis”. In his speech, Paswan referred to the change of slogan of the BSP from Ambedkar’s bahujan (majority) to sarvjan (everybody). “Ambedkar had said bahujan to mean the suppressed majority and Mayawati has made it sarvjan which includes even Tata, Birla and Ambanis,” Paswan remarked and urged Dalits not to fall in the trap. Athawale too said Mayawati had dumped the Dalits and embraced the Brahmins.Resolutions adopted at the convention included demands for reservation in the private sector, introduction of the SC&ST Reservation Bill during the current session, allocation of budget amount in proportion to the population of Dalits and constitution of a National Judicial Commission. The resolution charged the UPA Government of “complacency” in pressing for reservation in the private sector.The NDF leaders said they would hold similar conventions in states and districts to bring different Dalit organisations, leaders and activists under its fold. The effort is being construed as part of urgency from other Dalit leaders to retain their significance vis-à-vis the rise of Mayawati beyond UP.
