Our Correspondent / New Delhi
Intensifying their protest against the Supreme Court verdict on SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Dalit organisations have given call for Parliament ‘gherao’ on April 1 and nationwide strike on April 2, demanding that the government file review petition against the order.
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.
Appeal to all SC/ST Govt, Semi-Govt, Private, Public and non-public Employees to apply for a one day leave for #BharatBand on 2nd April using this application format.
We request the #employers to facilitate this. @MohuaCTOI @shalini_nazeer @kdrajagopal @SRautray @svaradarajan pic.twitter.com/FMx49ObUBy— Ashok Bharti (@DalitOnLine) March 29, 2018
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.