CPI (M-L) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, who received the ‘Ambedkar Sudar’ Award, instituted by the the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), on Sunday in the city, said Muslims were emerging as India’s new Dalits due to their ‘outright marginalisation and ghettoisation’.
He said Ambedkar issued clear warnings and asked us not to become complacent with the introduction of universal adult franchise, but to fight hard against economic and social inequality, which, if left unchecked, would render the equality of votes meaningless.
“For Ambedkar, liberty, equality and fraternity represented an integral package, which alone could put an end to the stigma of the caste system. Today, while Dalits experience renewed exclusion at different levels, Muslims, subjected to outright marginalisation and ghettoisation, are emerging as India’s new Dalits, even as Christians, too, face increased prejudices and even violent attacks in many parts of India,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
