Newly appointed Minister for Land Reform and Management Mahendra Paswan vowed on Monday that he would walk away from the government and join Dalits for yet another movement if Dalit rights were not guaranteed in the new constitution.

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KATHMANDU, March 31 - Newly appointed Minister for Land Reform and Management Mahendra Paswan vowed on Monday that he would walk away from the government and join Dalits for yet another movement if Dalit rights were not guaranteed in the new constitution.

Speaking at a programme organised by National Dalit Commission (NDC) to discuss recommendations for the new statute, Paswan said he would strive to compensate the losses Dalits had so far incurred due to years of suppression. “Dalits should get their stakes this time around so as to fully compensate their losses in the past even if such a move demands holding back certain stakes belonging to privileged groups,” he said.
Responding to the recommendations up for discussion at the programme, Paswan said he would make special efforts to ensure that genuine concerns were incorporated in the new constitution.

Yam Bahadur Kishan floated the NDC’s draft recommendations, which urges the Constituent Assembly to guarantee a whole list of Dalit rights including right to education, employment, access to basic health facilities, protection against caste-based discrimination, unsociability and others.

Among others, the report also urges the government to adopt a fully proportional electoral system in all future elections and guarantee proportional representation of Dalit and other excluded groups in the judiciary and other constitutional bodies, including the Supreme Court and Judicial Council.

NDC Chairman Ram Lal Bishwokarma said NDC would soon submit its recommendations incorporating feedbacks received from all quarters.

Source: ekantipur.com