Syed Ali Ahmed
New Delhi, November 24– The Balmiki Dharma Sansad at a public meeting at Jantar Mantar today attended by its religious heads of different states demanded for Balmikis reservation in jobs, admissions in educational institutions and in other fields out of Scheduled Caste quota in proportion to their population.
Balmiki leaders attending the programme said that a large chunk of the SC quotas went to the SC sub-castes who were educationally and financially more advanced. Balmikis being at the lowest rung in the hierarchy and being the most backward educationally and financially could not benefit from the quotas meant for SC community. Hence, they argued for a separate quota for the Balmikis out of SC quota.
Vice president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind(JIH) Mohammad Salim Engineer and Mohammad Suleman, a Muslim leader from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, also attended the public meeting, supporting the demands of Balmikis.
National Advisor to the Sansad, Ashok Agyani said, “Balmiki leaders met the government in the past asking for their demands but the government had not accepted them. Dharm Sansad was called to pressurize the government for our demands.
He said if the demands were not accepted, the Balmiki leaders would be forced to think of gheraoing the Parliament. Agyani said, ” We are not Hindus because we are not allowed to enter the temples of Hindu gods. ”
Their other demands are special arrangement for education of Balmikis, recognition of Balmiki saints and `akharas`in Kumbh Mela, nomination of 15 Balmiki members in Rajya Sabha and giving a status of a different religion to Balmiki Dharm.
At present, Balmiki is part of the Hindu religion. Agyani demanded that a statue of Balmiki, a temple and a Bhawan be constructed in Ayodhya, 50 per cent donation in proposed Ram Temple should be spent on building of Balmiki temple and legal action against those be taken who use derogatory words for Balmiki.
Addressing the audience in the meeting, Suleman said that Balmikis should be given their rights. Saints of Balmiki community should come forward for educating the community people because without education community cannot get it’s rights. Swami Karmnath said that the government is not giving rights to Balmikis and Adivasis. The Ramayan was authored by Balmiki but his followers are not given rights equal to others. “The government should end this discrimination’’, Swami Karmnath demanded.
