After inaugurating a session on Dalit literature at the 80th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana here on Wednesday, Siddalingaiah said this movement and agitation will have serious implications if the upper castes support Dalits. Clarifying that the Dalit agitations are not against any particular caste, he said it is in support of the poor from all communities.
The rest of the society should understand and feel the pulse of Dalits’ agony, he added. In a survey conducted by a media house, 19 lakh people voted for Ambedkar choosing him as an important person over the likes of Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. “This shows Indian society has started accepting Ambedkar as a leader. One should know that all those who voted in favour of Ambedkar are not Dalits,” he added. Siddalinagaiah said it is high time that awareness is created among non-Dalits about the plight of innocent Dalits and weaker sections. Referring to a suggestion made by Dandappa, an officer about merging Dalit literature with Kannada literature, Siddalingaiah, who is a noted Dalit poet, said Dalit literature is a sad part of Kannda literature and it should retain its distinct identity.
Writers Prashantha Nayak and Mudanakudda Chinnaswamy supported his stand and felt that agitation should be the tool to fight for constitutional rights. ‘Let a Dalit Preside Over Next Meet’ Chinnaswamy said a Dalit writer should preside over the next kannada meet. This opportunity should also be given to women, including Dalit women writers, he added. He said that the Sahitya Sammelana did not spare much time to discuss the plight of the Dalits and their literature. The atrocities against Dalits have not yet stopped. People of the country rose against the Delhi gang-rape incident. But people have not shown the same zeal and commitment about rape incidents on Dalit women, he regretted.
“It is unfortunate that Dalit families which lodge complaints against rape are socially boycotted,” he said. He said that the Dalits should preserve their inherent cultural values and know the conspiracy of continuing heinous practices like Made Snana and Bettale Seve.

Source :: The New Indian Express(Karnataka)