Ranjona Banerji: Social injustice? It's Right here

Jignesh Mevani is abused insulted demeaned on a regular basis because he dares to speak out speak against years of discrimination File picJust about every single fault line and fissure in Indian society is now exposed and open raw wounds that showcase our prejudices as well as the pain and anger they cause And it is all being justified in some demonic explanation of reclaiming a bogus history laced with religious bigotry and exclusivist nationalism Muslims being lynched for transporting cows or for marrying someone or wearing a skull cap or for travelling in a train or for just being Muslim this is now commonplace across India If Muslims speak up they are accused of being terrorists If anyone speaks up for them then they are accused of being Communists or Naxalites some of the worst insults in the limited rightwing lexiconDalits are also open targets Policemen make them lick their boots Mobs thrash them for transporting cattle A governmentemployed scientist files a police case against her cook for being a lowercaste person who presented herself as upper caste There is injustice from the justice system with different rules for highercaste accused and more stringent rules for Dalit accusedNo one is ashamed in fact perpetrators are proud and dare one say it shameless The last time these brazen badges of prejudice were worn by Indias upper castes was during the Mandal agitation Of course the word reservation is still that proverbial red rag to bullheaded upper castes Immediately a spew of toxic vomit pours out how Dalits have ruined Indias development because of the quota system and how merit which by this argument only upper castes can lay claim to has been sacrificed to political appeasementNarendra Modi may claim that he is inspired by Dr BR Ambedkar and he may whine that he was insulted because he belongs to a lower caste But that is all a wonderful smokescreen Look at the reaction of the government the BJP and its many fans and sycophants to the pronounshycements of newly elected Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani He is abused insulted demeaned on a regular basis because he dares to speak out speak against years of discrimination and because he dares to stand up for himself and against injusticeIt is hardly surprising that a craven Delhi police has found as many reasons as it can to hinder January 9s Yuva Hunkar rally or the Roar of the Youth if you will The youth taking part in this protest represent those very segments of Indian society whom the conservative upper castes would rather were unheard unseen forgotten as they have been for generationsInstead with more courage than Opposition politicians or the media or civil society these young people are taking on the discrimination and lies of both the government and the communities that support it The main issues are rightwing violence against them particularly against Muslims and Dalits and the lack of jobs and economic development in India todayThe Modi government came to power with the bombastic slogans of Achhe Din Good Days and Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Development for Everyone Together Both are nothing short of jokes today as much as political slogans mean nothingBut nowhere was the disillusionment with Modis promises clearer than in Gujarat where the BJP may have won the Assembly polls but it lost its shield of infallibility And it was Mevani along with Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakur who led that chargeToo much of uppercaste India remains as it always has been prejudiced and obsessed with its own superiority The Constitution may have made castebased discrimination illegal in 1950 but many have now conveniently turned the Constitution on its head by claiming that if you complain of caste discrimination you are being casteist There is no limit to the depravity of uppercaste arrogance it seems Was it not former chief of Army staff and government minister VK Singh who said after the murder of two Dalit children that the government cannot respond every time someone throws a stone at a dogAnd was it not the Prime Minister of India who said that yes he felt bad when Muslims died in riots in his home state under his watch much like anyone would feel bad when a car one is sitting in runs over a puppy If this is how people in power see Indian citizens then this uprising has been too long comingRanjona Banerji is a senior journalist You can follow her on Twitter ranjona Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go