Clean India to Untouchability

After long time I am writing my blog. 

We are at present sailing through a euphoria of Clean India Movement reminding us Quit India Movement during Independence. It was against the Britishers during pre- independence and now against open defecation in post-independence. There is no doubt about the intent of GoI and other organisations. India needs a recognition as a clean country to attract more investment in the tourism sector, also.

On 2^nd October 2014, I think all of us has pledged for making an open defecation free India in next 5 year. Someone did voluntarily and many of us had to do it because of dictate from supreme commander of India.  We have been taking such pledges for a long time on sanitation and hygiene. 

I remember we started this on 15^th October in 2008-09 during Global Hand Washing Day. At the end, celebration of day becomes more important than the cause and importance of the day. I sincerely hope this is not again another round of tokenism and high profile toilet talk for our great country. But the big questions are: are we ready for Walk the Talk on toilet issues? how long can the sanitation  be linked with our caste system?  

Time has come that we need to stop this stereo typing while linking Sanitation with Valmiki Samaj. GoI needs to understand they need ‘Pen’ not ‘Jhadu’. Our Father of Nation also wished to delink sanitation from caste system. But unfortunately, majority of the Valimiki Samaj population still lives in the tail end of the city or village cleaning all the dirt’s of us as if this is their moral responsibility.

I hope GoI and all political parties should understand this deep rooted nexus of caste system, untouchability and sanitation. Before cleaning the outside dirt, we need to clean the dirt of untouchability deep rooted inside us.

Let this Clean India Movement also enlighten us and it should not remain an agenda of taking credits between UPA and NDA. As PM rightly pointed out it is beyond politics. This is an issues of safety, dignity and privacy.