Indore Management Institute Supports Movement against caste in Census

June 17, 2010 - PRLog -- A group of concerned citizens have launched “Meri Jati Hindustani”, a new movement to pressurize the government to discard caste from Census-2011. The group has won backers in former Lok Sabha Speakers Somnath Chatterjee and Balram Jakhar and former Union Ministers Ram Jethmalani, Vasant Sathe and Jagmohan. A core group with citizens from all walks of life has been formed with social Activists and senior journalist Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik as National Convener.

Among the members of the core group are former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan, dance exponents Sonal Mansingh and Uma Sharma, former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha Subhash Kashyap and former bureaucrats Bhure Lal and Jagadish Chandra Sharma.The Movement is being supported also by Baba Ramdev, the Vipasana Guru S.N. Goenka, the Chief of Gayatri Parivar, Dr. Pranav Pandya.

A mission statement released by the group reminded the government that “the Constitution makers had realised the divisive potential of caste and community and had specifically abolished untouchability and separate electorates to deny caste and community a role in the political domain”.

Speaking to media persons, Dr. Vaidik said the initial response to the campaign was overwhelming and he had been invited by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lead a delegation to meet him to voice their opposition to the inclusion of caste in the Census. He added that the group strongly supported meaningful affirmative action for the deprived and disadvantaged sections of society.

Mr. Balram Jakhar said he feared that inclusion of caste in the Census would create divisions in society and divide the country along caste lines.One must use his right of expression against this vicious idea.

Mr. Vasant Sathe opined that India was perhaps the only country where society was divided by caste and such moves by the government would give recognition and respect for caste identities.

Mr. Arif Mohammed Khan said the citizen was being forgotten in the rush to identify people along caste and community lines. Ms. sonal Mansingh expressed her anguish on counting of citizens as the members of animals herds. She opined that caste in census will divide the Indian society more dangerously than religion.

Mr. Subhash Kashyap noted that both Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar dreamt of a casteless society. Caste has been referred in the Constitution only in the context of its abolition. He added that the Supreme Court had noted on many occasions that caste cannot be the only criterion to decide social and educational backwardness.

Dr. Vaidik said that our movement is spreading to several cities and villages in India. Thousands of workers will participate in rallies and demonstrations.

Patrons: Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, Shri Balram Jakhar, Mr.Vasant Sathe, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, Mr. Jagmohan, Mr. Naresh
Chandra, Mr. Muchkund Dubey, Mr. George Verghese.

Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik, 13, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi - 110001, PH : 011-2332-5068, 2686-7700 - www.merijaatihindustani.com

Core Group : Mr. Arif Mohammad Khan (Former Minister), Mr. Jagdish Chandra Sharma (Former Secretary, External Affairs), Mr.Viresh Pratap Chaudhry (Senior Advocate), Dr. J .S. Yadav (Media Expert), Dr. G.S. Yadav (Engineers India), Dr. Subhash Kashyap (Former Secretary General- Lok Sabha ), Mr. Sanjay Dalmia (Industrialist), Dr. Ramprakash Arya (MP), Mr. R.L. Francis ( Leader of Poor Christians), Mr. Naushad Ali (Writer), Mr. Rambahadur Rai (Journalist), Dr. Bhanu Pratap Mehta (Sociologist), Dr. Dilip Padgaonkar (Journalist), Mr. Bal Anand (Former Ambassador), Mr. V.S. Verma (Former Ambassador),
Mr. Rudrasen Arya (Philanthropist), Mr. H. S Grover (Social Activist), Dr. J. K. Jain (Former M.P), Mr. Rajat Sharma (TV Journalist), Dr. Lavlin Thadani (Film Maker), Smt. Alaka Madhok (Social Activist), Smt. Jalbala Vaidya (Theatre), Mr. Gopal Sharman (Film Director), Mr. Harsh (Software Engineer), Ms Uma Sharma (Artist), Ms Sonal Mansingh (Artist), Mr. Amzad Ali Khan (Artist), Ms. Uma Vasudev (Writer), Mr. Shyam Benegal (Film Maker), Mr. H.K. Dua (Journalist), Mr. V. Bhansali (Banker), Mr. Siddharth Kasyap (Industrialist).

Support : Acharya Satyanarayan Goenka (Vipasana), Baba Ramdev (Patanjali Yogpeeth), Dr. Pranav Pandya (Vishva Gayatri Parivar), Mr. Ram Naresh acharya (Ramanuj  Sanpraday), Swami Pragyanand.

Indore Management Institute supports and promotes the crusade against casteism in India.

# # #

IMI Imparts world class management education in Indore, Central India. This is one of the fastest growing management institute in India, and is the only institute in India having a Management Lab within its campus. Institute offers excellent infrastructure, and education facilities to all its national and international students. Indore Management Institute, by virtue of its teaching and training excellence, has been awarded the opportunity to run MBA in Pharmaceutical studies in the region. IMI is currently accepting admissions in MBA, BBA, PGDM, B.Com and B. Sc for the coming session. And offering Doctor Programs in following disciplines: Economics, Finance, OB and HRM, Marketing, Industrial Psychology, International Business.