Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at the Dalit- Minority International Conference

"I am delighted to be here to speak at this very important conference. I compliment my colleague, Ram Vilasji, for taking the initiative to organize an international conference focusing on the theme "power to the powerless". I am very happy that delegates from all parts of the world have come here . I extend to all of them my greetings and best wishes.

In studying the problems captured by this theme, it is necessary to make a distinction between the problems faced by dalits in India and the problems faced by "minorities" in all societies. Dalits have faced a unique discrimination in our society that is fundamentally different from the problems of minority groups in general. The only parallel to the practice of "untouchability" was Apartheid in South Africa. Untouchability is not just social discrimination. It is a blot on humanity. That is precisely why the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi declared, "My fight against untouchability is a fight against the impure in humanity."

It is for this reason that social reformers, leaders of our freedom movement and the makers of our Constitution adopted a special approach to deal with the discrimination against dalits and . They banished the practice of untouchability and empowered dalits in various ways. The Indian Constitution, written by such great patriots as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, is a unique affirmation of fundamental human rights. It guaranteed social empowerment through Constitutional means. India's unique experiment of social and economic revolution through peaceful and democratic means holds, I believe, lessons for all societies in transition, for all nations divided by social and economic disparities and discrimination.

I recognize, even after 60 years of Constitutional and legal protection and state support, there is still social discrimination against dalits in many parts of our country. The political, social, cultural and intellectual battle against such discrimination must continue. I assure you, our Government is deeply and sincerely committed to the equality of all sections of our society and will take all necessary steps to help in the social, educational and economic empowerment of dalits. This is our solemn commitment.

In fact, our Government has taken several steps in the past two years to empower Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes both through affirmative action and reinforcing our Constitutional commitment to reservations. Above all, we have paid special attention to empowerment through education because, as the life of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar tells us so eloquently, this is the most powerful means of overthrowing the one uncivilized aspect of our ancient civilization.

Your conference is also focusing on the status of minorities. The principle that explicit measures should be taken to protect the interests of minorities is an idea embedded in our political discourse and in our Constitutional provisions.

In an international conference like this it is relevant to recognize that a minority in one country or region could be a majority elsewhere. Indeed, every social and religious group can claim to be a minority somewhere or the other. Hence, the social, political and economic principles that modern, democratic societies adopt in dealing with the specific problems of minorities should ideally be based on certain universal principles.

What are these universal principles, in my view these beliefs are defined by the idea of equality before law, the universal application of the rule of law, commitment to basic fundamental human rights, and the right of minority groups to protect, preserve and promote the values cherished by such groups.

Some minorities in India have done better than others. For example, in India, minority communities like the Jains and the Sikhs have fared relatively well from the process of social and economic development. However, other minorities, especially the Muslim community in certain parts of our country, have not had an equal share of the fruits of development. This has most recently been established by data provided in the Report of the High Level Committee on the Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India, popularly known as Sachar Committee. It is incumbent upon any democratically elected government to redress such imbalances and eradicate such inequities. I assure you, our Government is indeed committed to doing this.

It is incumbent upon us to ensure that the growth process is not only equitable but is seen to be so. Even as absolute poverty may be reduced by growth, inequalities can get sharpened. This can be politically and socially extremely destabilizing. Hence, we have to take steps that reduce social and economic inequalities, without hurting the process of growth and without reducing the incentives for individual enterprise and creativity.

Administrative measures taken by Government to develop the capabilities of weaker groups are not the end-all and be-all of positive action against social discrimination and disparities. We need a change in mindsets. This requires a wider, broad-based social, political and cultural movement against all forms of discrimination and injustice prevalent in our society. The battle for social equality has to be waged and won in the minds of our people.

We have to recognize that even in a free society there are glass windows and glass ceilings. The first step in dealing with such problems is to recognize their existence. The second step is to come up with universally acceptable policies that are not viewed as a zero‑sum game, but as win-win solutions through which everyone is better off and no one is worse off.

Shri V.P. Singh has touched upon a number of issues. I won't like to go into the details of various valuable suggestions that he has made. This has been true that the Muslim minorities in our country has not got an equitable share of the fruits of development. Therefore, practical ways and means have to be explored to redress this basic inequity in the functioning of our democracy. I assure you, I will, with the help of my colleagues in the Cabinet apply myself to this task. There are problems facing Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, problems arise when it comes to acquiring land for certain purposes, the problems of the displaced persons and their livelihood and those who are forced to migrate in search of their livelihood to cities, the growing homelessness in urban conglomerates, these are all genuine issues and they, I can assure you, will receive the attention they deserve.

In conclusion, I would like to say that a conference like this must pay more attention to finding solutions to a problem rather than merely harp on the problem. You must also focus your attention on success stories that guide people and give them a ray of hope. The life of Babasaheb Ambedkar gives us hope as well as courage. It gives every dalit hope and courage, it gives every Indian hope that a just society is not merely a false dream. It should give every modern democratic society hope.

There are today thousands of young men and women whose life mirrors that of Babasaheb. My young friend Dr. Narendra Jadhav of the Reserve Bank of India is one such. I invite you to read his book "Outcaste". I was deeply moved when I read. It was a soul stirring account of empowerment and liberation. Such are the examples of empowerment that must inspire and give us confidence that problems of social and economic inequalities can be dealt with and will be dealt with effectively. I hope your conference is able to impart this positive message to our people. I wish your conference all success".