Jignesh Mevani, MLA, Vadgam, Gujarat
Jignesh Mevani is already being hailed as the next big dalit leader in the country. As MLA, the articulate former journalist, activist and lawyer, aims to provide a voice to dalits. It remains to be seen what Mevani goes on to achieve. Will he be a flash in the pan or will he tap into dalit angst and change the status quo. Edited excerpts from an interview:
You have been booked for giving provocative speeches in Bhima Koregaon. How do you explain these charges?
I am a practising advocate and now, a lawmaker. So I am fully aware of the provisions of the law. Not a single statement or word from my speeches had an ingredient which could invite such a case. Show the full videos [of my speeches] to Constitution experts. None of them will find anything wrong.
Even Union minister Ramdas Athawale said my speech had nothing which could lead to violence. It is a conspiracy by the BJP government. They are doing it because they are afraid of me. My profile is increasing day by day. I am going all over the country. I can sense the anger of the people, dalits, the youth.
During the Gujarat elections, leaders from the opposition campaigned for you. What is your next move? Will you join any party, or start your own?
Right now, I am not thinking about it. My primary focus will be on the state. I want to give justice to my constituency, Vadgam. It will be Vadgam model of development against [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s model of development. [I want to] ensure that my organisation—Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch—expands.
Your activism and politics is centred around dalit rights. How do you view their condition in India at present?
Denne historien er fra January 28, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 28, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
