Dalits are fed up with the holy cows of nationalist India

By SANJAY RAJOURA

Dalits are done with the carcasses of history.

Finally.

And only the Dalits in this land have the moral, cultural and the civilisational right to throw an argument that strong at the Hindutva rhetoric.

For centuries, the Dalits have been raped, burnt, chopped and mutilated in this profoundly tolerant civilisation. But what the nation cannot tolerate now is if their holy cow is harmed - by words, action or by even a mere thought.

Finally, our Dalits are throwing the cattle carcasses at the government building - the seat of power represented by the Manu-loving Hindutvawadis who prefer to save the cow but kill human beings.

It is the ultimate symbolic counter to centuries of Hindu chauvinism.

The fitting reply - to quote Union home minister Rajnath Singh's favourite phrase "moonh tod jawab" - to the holy cow politics cannot be given by the liberals.

They would be sent to the proverbial Kala Pani for liberals, that is Pakistan.

Only the Dalits can challenge them.

Because they cannot dare to even utter the Pakistan threat for the Dalits. They cannot be tamed into silence with the promise of development and higher GDP growth.

They do not hear the Skill India mantra from deep inside the sewers that they have to dive into daily to clean our un-smart cities.

They cannot be seduced by the promise of "Make in India" because the republic's rhetoric just killed Rohith Vemula.

They can't even celebrate their hero, BR Ambedkar, the way the privileged members of the "exit republic" can at Wembley stadium or Madison Square Garden.

The Hindutva project is yet to be dressed up to pose as a casteless force. (AP)

Only the Dalits have the moral power to actually hold the republic by its neck and say, "this is my republic too".

Dalits of this country threw the cow's holy carcass on July 19 and challenged the ruling "brown-shorts" to clean up the sacred mess. But the familiar counter-arguments will not be thrown back at the Dalits.

They will not be able tell the Dalits to go and fight on the border instead. They will not be called a barrier to development or anti-nationalists. Because there are too many elections to be fought and won.

Because the Hindutva project is yet to be dressed up to pose as a casteless force. Because many more statues of Ambedkar have to be appropriated and garlanded.

Because the lashes on the bare backs of the Dalit men have been viewed by millions of eyes on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.

It can no longer be hidden. The impunity of the present government has finally found a formidable roadblock.

A roadblock, so strong, they cannot neutralise with their Hindutva cannon. Time has come for the history to be re-written by the other side.

This was a revolution waiting to happen and the time has come. Manu must die! He cannot write all the definitions any more for us.

Until now, the hand was raised upward toward the sky. Now that hand is throwing the carcass back at us.

And it stinks. [Source: DAILY O]