Rahul Sonpimple, a 35-year-old Dalit from Nagpur, has started the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association for a social mobilisation movement to espouse the cause of the socially deprived.

His association works with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in rural areas to sensitise them about the under-representation of SCs and STs in the private sector compared to their population share and the underutilisation of government funds meant for them.

Their objective is to build mass movement on these issues. In the just-concluded general elections, the association presented their demands to both the Maha Vikas Aghadi — which comprises the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena — and the BJP and its allies.

“In the corporates, the representation of SCs and STs is abysmal in managerial posts. The Indian State has become a crony capitalist State. Privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) has aggravated the under-representation of SCs and STs because there is no reservation in the private sector. The Indian private sector is entirely controlled by the forward castes who do not bother about Dalits and tribals, who face discrimination in appointments,” Sonpimple said.

Leaders elected from the reserved seats, Sonpimple said, do not raise the issue with force in Parliament and state Assemblies. Ultimately, the common people have to be united to raise them.

Sonpimple quoted an article, "Blocked by Caste? Corporate Boards in India", published in the Economic and Political Weekly in 2012 by economists D. Ajit, Han Donkar and Ravi Saxena that said the private industry today is under the control of Brahmins and Baniyas.

According to that article, he said, 46 per cent of company directorships are in the hand of Baniyas, 44.6 per cent are Brahmins, 0.5 per cent are Kshatriyas while all Shudras, including OBCs, constitute 3.8 per cent. The SCs and STs account for 3.5 per cent others, including Parsis and Muslims, make 1.5 per cent.

He said the central government earmarks funds for the welfare of SCs and STs under SC Sub Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) in the same ratio as their population share. The funds are supposed to be spent on welfare activities exclusively for SCs and STs.

“The government shows a highway or a sports stadium to be serving the welfare of SCs and STs, so a certain percentage of expenditure in those projects is shown to have been met from SCP and TSP. This is violation of the spirit behind SCP and TSP. We demand a law in Parliament to ensure that the SCP and TSP funds are utilised for projects like residential schools for children of SCs and STs, scholarship of SCs and STs and similar things,” Sonpimple said.

Cases of atrocities are increasing on caste lines, and SCs and STs do not get justice because of delay in investigation and legal procedure. The accused from dominant castes get impunity and protection.

“Dr Ambedkar has said the SCs should live in separate settlement. This is the solution. The government should provide separate settlement for the SCs in such areas where they are less in number. People say ‘you are dividing the society’. I want to ask, ‘Is the society united?’” Sonpimple said.