A thread on . @ArvindKejriwal & Casteism

Arvind Kejriwal was a "mentor" for an org called Youth for Equality. A vehemently anti dalit, anti reservation group. He was also associated with India Against Reservation.

In Kejriwal's "India Against Corruption" movement, Krantikari Manuvadi Morcha, a Hindutva org, declared openly, "Reservations are the root of all evil. The real revolution will come when the merit-based social system of Manu Maharaj will be reinstated".

Banners of caste associations fluttered at Ram Lila Ground, and they routinely raised Anti Mandal & anti reservation slogans. So . @DrKumarVishwas 's rant in Rajasthan against Mandal/Ambedkar was no coincidence.

Kejriwal didn't hesitate to declare that no reservation can be made for Dalits in the drafting committee for the Lokpal on the grounds that for formulating laws one needs "specialisation". When Dalits protested against this, he threw the ball into the government’s court.

No Dalit, Bahujan or Adivasi reached leadership positions in his org, "Parivartan" or in "India Against Corruption" or were incorporated in its core team. Kejriwal opposed the reservations in promotions bill & Sisodia branded SP & BSP as "pressure groups for certain castes".

Kejriwal, on entering formal politics, changed his opinion on reservations which his supporters love pointing out as his "Pro Dalit-ness". In a video he magnanimously allows Dalits to avail reservation just "once" , though he agrees, casteism particularly in rural India, exists.

In 2014, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh both featured in his list of the most corrupt politicians in India who should be debarred from contesting elections. But like all allegations levelled by him, the proofs of corruption weren't provided.

Kejriwal, in the University of Hyderabad, proclaimed, "Rohith Vemula dalit hote bhi yahan quote se nahin aaye the. Wo apni merit se aaye the". (This was incorrect).So Kejriwal parroted an oft repeated Savarna casteist argument that "reserved candidates have no merit".

Kejriwal is notably silent on land reforms, reservations in the private sector, reservations in judiciary, opposes reservations in promotions, SC/ST backlogs, SC/ST subplan & has never spoken out against persecution of Chandrashekhar Ravan. Vemula is forgotten.

Kejriwal promised an SC/ST commission for Delhi last year after garlanding Baba Saheb. It lays forgotten. But he did tweet his support for reinstating the POA act. Like every politician did.

So is . @ArvindKejriwal an ally of the Dalits as his supporters claim to be ? His actions speak otherwise.