Belchhi 1977, Sasaram 2025: The People’s War for Democracy

  

Elections are not a festival of power. They are the sacred voice of the people — the ordinary farmer, the teacher, the labourers, the woman who walks miles to cast her vote. Babasaheb Ambedkar ensured that every Indian, regardless of caste, class, gender or religion, had one equal weapon — their vote. He gave us dignity through democracy. 

But what happens when that very vote is stolen? What happens when citizens are reduced to ghosts in their own democracy? That is the India we are staring at today. 

The Great Voter List Scam 

In Bihar alone, a staggering 65 lakh names were wiped out from voter lists by the Election Commission — not by accident, but without due process. Imagine what that means: a Dalit farmer reaching his polling booth after walking 5 km, only to be told, “Your name doesn’t exist.” A widow in a small village, voting for 30 years, suddenly erased. This is not democracy. This is mass disenfranchisement. 

Rahul Gandhi, armed with meticulous data and years of groundwork, has dragged this truth into the national spotlight. His voice is the echo of crores of Indians whose names have been deleted, their existence denied, their power stolen. 

History Repeats Itself 

On 13th August 1977, Indira Gandhi rode an elephant into Belchhi, Bihar, standing with the oppressed after a brutal massacre. It was not just a visit — it was a political thunderclap that realigned India’s politics. 

Now, 48 years later, Rahul Gandhi begins his yatra from Sasaram — a mere 212 kilometers away — fighting not just for seats or power, but for the very survival of India’s democracy. If Belchhi was about oppressed voices crying for justice, Sasaram is about citizens demanding the right to exist on their own voter rolls. 

This is no less than Rahul Gandhi’s Belchhi moment. 

A Democracy in Chains 

For the last decade, the BJP has hollowed out India’s democratic institutions. The Election Commission, meant to be the guardian of fairness, now stands accused of stealing voices. Parliament has been bulldozed into silence, where opposition MPs are suspended and citizens’ issues ignored. Courts are under pressure. Media is muzzled. This is not democracy, this is dictatorship wearing the mask of elections. 

The Voice That Refuses to Die 

Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the stubborn voice of the people, whether in Parliament or on the streets. Against relentless attacks, disqualification, and vilification, he has refused to be silenced. His yatra is not just a political campaign — it is a war cry for every Indian whose name was deleted, whose vote was stolen, whose dignity was denied. 

The Call to Every Indian 

The real question is this: If they can delete 65 lakh names in Bihar today, what stops them from deleting yours tomorrow? 

Every Indian must ask themselves — is democracy only about results on TV screens? Or is it about the power of each citizen to shape the future? 

Rahul Gandhi’s march from Sasaram is not his fight alone. It is the people’s fight. The choice is clear — rise and defend your vote, or remain silent and watch democracy be reduced to ashes. 

From Belchhi in 1977 to Sasaram in 2025, the message is the same: the people’s voice cannot, and will not, be erased.

Kavitha Reddy - Kaagaz Foundation  www.kavithareddy.in 

Beyond Guarantee Schemes; Need for Guaranteed Reforms & Progressive Policies

The Congress government in Karnataka completes 27 months marred by constant criticism and multiple power centers dragging the party and government in different directions. Lack of strong narrative beyond the tag of Guarantee Sarkara is damaging Congress's ability to counter even the weakest opposition effectively. 

As a progressive state Karnataka government has to do a lot more to address the persisting employment issues and the increasing gender gap. Even as Karnataka continues to be one of the largest contributors to the GST and has the highest per capita income in the country, some key question on inclusiveness has to be raised, not in comparison with other states but how it can lead change:

- what is the per capita income excluding Bengaluru

- what is the per capita income excluding the top 5% of the wealthiest

- what is the per capita income of women 

These three critical questions can help in re-strategizing Karnataka’s development programs with a class, gender and region lens.   

Unemployment vs Employment: 

Competitive land acquisitions offered to attract industries without assessing the actual level of employment the industries are going to provide for the local population is leading to massive migrated workforce from other states. With increase in the education levels in Karnataka and in most southern states there are less takers for the low-end factory jobs, and this mismatch is also contributing to the decline in Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR). With young people choosing higher studies over low-level jobs, the question arises on what the government is doing to meet the growing job demands of aspiring more educated and qualified youth. 

Unfortunately, Karnataka unlike Tamil Nadu has been Bengaluru focused and has constantly failed in creating multiple functional industrial zones across the state, thereby forcing people to migrate to Bengaluru, which is only getting less attractive as the wages are actually determined by the migrated job seekers from other states. 

Skill Development & Labour Reforms: 

Moving away Skill Development from Labour Department for power balancing has been a huge strategic mistake. Yuva Nidhi one of the guarantee schemes, that could have been more impactful if unemployed youth were connected to the industry as paid interns to learn the necessary skills, with Labour Department & Skill Development Corporation monitoring the progress, instead its a direct transfer of the scheme amount without adding any learning value to the youth in the process. What could have been a massive employment engagement program with the industry has just ended up as payment to stay unemployed. 

Union government constantly tweaking the labour laws and relaxing the provision in favor of the industry will lead to higher employment in the informal sector, the decline in the labour participation in agriculture has not moved the needle to increase employment in the formal sector either. 

With some initiatives by the State Labour Department for unorganized sector to provide medical and accident insurance cover, the concern over how to address a social security as people in unorganized sector become older remains a major challenged that is not even part of any discussions today. 

Poverty in India is an intersection of caste, gender, region, education and also wages, a robust policy of Employment Linked Incentives (ELI) for hiring women, OBC, SC & ST community youth, in addition to the proposed increase minimum wages by the Labour Department, and ELI has to be implemented to improve inclusion of caste and gender without diluting the objective and shredding tokenism. 

Governments have been the biggest defaulter of labour policy related to contract employees, and Guarantee Sarkara has an opportunity to re-look at its own contract labour policy including Asha and NHRM workers and implement a lucrative social security policy and stop  terminating them after years of service in the same role and then remove them with empty hands. 

Gender Justice: 

Unpaid care & domestic work has been a major concern when gender equality is assessed, while most work done by men is considered productive and paid, how to compute the value of unpaid care & domestic work done by women remains unanswered. According to UN women’s unpaid care & domestic work accounts upto 39% of the GDP, and in India the 2023 SBI report pegged it at 7.5% of GDP, which translates to Rs 22.7 lakh crore.

Karnataka’s successfully implemented gruhalakshmi scheme has an opportunity to convert the scheme as wages for the unpaid care & domestic work done by women in the household extending it to all women above 22 years, thereby economically recognizing the unpaid care & domestic work women are engaged in. This revolutionary step can change the way women participation is seen in the economy of the state. 

Governments by and large have linked most of the welfare programs to improve economic conditions of households, which have not necessarily resulted in improving the condition of women, but targeted intervention programs for women in health, education and nutrition and MGNREGA schemes have been effective comparatively. 

Women were largely involved in agriculture labour, the steady decline is due to increase of mechanization in agricultural sector and increase in education levels, hence government is duty bound to address the decline in women LFPR and implement policies to connect women to formal employment. Free bus service under the Shakti scheme has been a huge hit, with over 5000 million rides by women, and if women are traveling to work has the LFPR increased remains an unanswered question. With industries mostly centered around Bengaluru providing working women hostels for age group of 18 to 25 years in and around the industrial townships, similar to the initiative by Tamil Nadu, helping them migrate with secured accommodation will push the LFPR and increase participation of women in the formal employment.   

Karnataka needs to move from being gender sensitive towards gender transformative by strategically investing in women through transparent gender budgeting and also increasing women workforce to 33% and eventually to 50% in the government jobs itself as a progressive and gender equity focused state.    

Kavitha Reddy, Trustee Kaagaz Foundation

Celebrating Yatnal expulsion from BJP shows political bankruptcy of Congress!

Published in - Bangalore Mail

‘War is won in the barracks not on battlefields’ a quote that emphasis on strategy, and that’s what BJP top leadership has been doing for a decade now.  

Expelling kattar hindutvavadi Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, sidelining RSS man KS Eshwarappa, denying ticket to hindutva firebrands like Ananth Kumar and Pratap Shima are not some ad hoc or desperate decisions, it’s a well-planned long-term strategy of BJP top leadership.

Ouster of Yatnal BJP has neutralised the anti-minority, anti-constitution and BJP infighting narrative that Congress was running in Karnataka, importantly it also sent out a message to the surrounding states that is going to polls next year.

BJP through its minority wing announced distribution of 32 lac Eid kits to muslim families, BJP across south of India are organizing iftar parties in small targeted groups, even BJP Tamil Nadu chief Annamalai organised a grand iftar party recently. Rekha Gupta the new chief minister of Delhi who is close to RSS shocked social media by saying there is ram in ramazan and ali in diwali, and called for harmony.

History shows that every regional party in India has done business with BJP and BJP in return has finished or broke many of them. In most states for over 3 decades Congress has been depending on regional alliance and fights elections on its own strength only in 7-8 states, whereas BJP fights elections on its own in most all states and has alliance only in 5-6 states.

BJP top leadership decisions are not only neutralizing the weapons used by Congress but it has dented the Congress narrative in Karnataka. Its time Congress sets a narrative beyond personalities and their divisive statements and take Rahul Gandhi statement on the presence of RSS-BJP people in Congress seriously and gets its house in order at least in Karnataka.

Kavitha Reddy - www.kavithareddy.in 

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ರಾಜಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಕಣ್ಮರೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು

ವಿಶ್ವದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಕಾನೂನು ರೂಪಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಕ್ರಿಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ 50% ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆಗೆ ಧ್ವನಿ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಯಾರು ಯೋಚಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಸತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇವಲ 11% ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಮತ್ತು 9% ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ, Post-dated ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿ ಮಸೂದೆಯನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕಾರ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಆಗಿರುವ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಅನ್ಯಾಯ, ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಪ್ರಾತಿನಿಧ್ಯವು ಅಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವ ಪುರುಷ ನಾಯಕರ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಕರಿಗೆ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ಗಳನ್ನು ವಿತರಿಸುವುದರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕೌಟುಂಬಿಕ ವ್ಯವಹಾರವಾಗಿದೆ. ಗಾಯದ ಮೇಲೆ ಬರೆ ಎಳೆದಂತೆ ಪಿತೃಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರನ್ನು ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ಶೋಷಿತತ್ತಿದೆ. 12ನೇ ಶತಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಲಿಂಗ ಅಸಮಾನತೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಹೋರಾಡಿದ ಬಸವಣ್ಣನ ನೆಲವೆಂದು ಗುರುತಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಂತಹ ಪ್ರಗತಿಪರ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲೂ ಸಂಸತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಪ್ರಾತಿನಿಧ್ಯವು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಸರಾಸರಿಗಿಂತ ತುಂಬಾ ಕಡಿಮೆ.

ಎಲ್ಲ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲೂ, ಅಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಪುರುಷ ನಾಯಕತ್ವದ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದು ಈಗ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರನ್ನು ರಾಜಕೀಯದಿಂದ ದೂರವಿಡುತ್ತಿದೆ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಅಜ್ಞಾತವಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಕಳುಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಅವಕಾಶ, ಮಾನ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು access ವೃತ್ತಿ ಅಥವಾ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಗೆ ಕಾರಣವಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ, ದುರದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್ ಇವು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ದೂರದ ಕನಸಾಗಿವೆ. ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮೀಸಲಾತಿಯು ವಾಸ್ತವದಿಂದ ದೂರವಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಇಂದು ಮಹಿಳಾ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿಗಳು ಅವಕಾಶಗಳ ನ್ಯಾಯೋಚಿತ ಪಾಲನ್ನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ, ಸರ್ಕಾರವು 2000 ರೂ ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಉಚಿತ ಬಸ್ ಪ್ರಯಾಣವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಉತ್ತರಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಅಪಹಾಸ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆ, ಪರಿಷತ್ತು, ಮಂಡಳಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ನಿಗಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಪಕ್ಷದ ಕಚೇರಿಗಳು, ಟಿವಿ ಚರ್ಚೆಗಳು, ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಬ್ಯಾನರ್ಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಆಡಳಿತ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿಂದ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಕಣ್ಮರೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಪಿತೃಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ಚಾಲಿತ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪುರುಷ ನಾಯಕರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸುತ್ತಾಡುವ ಪುರುಷರು ಆಡಳಿತಾತ್ಮಕ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಗೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಸತ್ಯ, ಆದರೆ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ 33 ಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳ ಪೈಕಿ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಂತ್ರಿಯೂ ಸಹ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಮಹಿಳೆಯನ್ನು OSD ಅಥವಾ ಸಲಹೆಗಾರರು ಅಥವಾ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿಯಾಗಿ ನೇಮಿಸಿಲ್ಲ, ದುರದೃಷ್ಟವಶಾತ್ ಏಕೈಕ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಸಚಿವೆ ಸಲಹಾ ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯಿಲ್ಲ, ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಪಕ್ಷ ಆಂತರಿಕ ಆಡಳಿತದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಹೊರಗಿನವರಾಗಿ ಮುಂದುವರಿದಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ತೀವ್ರ ಮಟ್ಟದ ವಂಶಪಾರಂಪರ್ಯದ ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತಿಭಾವಂತ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪುರುಷರು ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಸವಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಆದರೆ ಮಾನ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು access ಕೊರತೆಯು ಪ್ರತಿಭಾವಂತ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವಾವಲಂಬಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರನ್ನು ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿಂದ ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ದೂರವಿರಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಪಕ್ಷದ ಸಭೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಹವಾದ ಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಸಹ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂಜರಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ತಮ್ಮ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಡಲು ಉತ್ಸಾಹವಿಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ದುರದೃಷ್ಟಕರ, ಹಿರಿಯ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಸಕ್ರಿಯ ರಾಜಕೀಯವನ್ನು ತೊರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವರು ಸೋತ ಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋರಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕಿರಿಯರು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಅಡೆತಡೆಗಳ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ತಮ್ಮ ಹಾದಿಯನ್ನು ಕೆತ್ತಲು ಹೆಣಗಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಒಂದು ಕಡೆ ಅವಕಾಶಗಳ ಕೊರತೆ, ಮಾನ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು access ಸವಾಲು, ಚಾರಿತ್ರ್ಯವಧೆ ಯನ್ನು (character assassination) ಎದುರಿಸುವುದು, ಮತ್ತೊಂದೆಡೆ ಧೈರ್ಯಶಾಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅಸಹಿಷ್ಣುತೆ. ವಾಸ್ತವದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ರಾಜಕೀಯವಾಗಿ ಕಿರುಕುಳಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಅವರನ್ನು ಗಂಭೀರ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿ ಎಂದು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ನಾಯಕತ್ವ ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆ ಹಾಗೂ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಪ್ರಕ್ರಿಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗಿಯಾಗುವುದು ಅಪರೂಪ.

ಒಂದು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಮಹಿಳಾ ನಾಯಕಿಯನ್ನು ವಿಧಾನ ಸೌಧ ದ್ವಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ತಡೆಯುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡಬಹುದು, ಆದರೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಪುರುಷ ನಾಯಕನ ಚಮಚ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಭದ್ರತೆಯನ್ನು ದಾಟಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತರೆ, ಇದು ಮಾನ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು access ಶಕ್ತಿ. ಅಧಿಕಾರದ ಕಾರಿಡಾರ್ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪುರುಷರ ಏಕಪಕ್ಷೀಯ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತಿಯು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಎಂದಿಗೂ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನು ನೀಡಿಲ್ಲ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

ವಿಶ್ವದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ 50% ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು, ಕೇವಲ 15% ಭೂಮಾಲೀಕರರು, 13% ಬ್ಯೂರೋಕ್ರಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, 20% ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಲೀಕರು, 32% ಉದ್ಯೋಗದಲ್ಲಿ. ಈ ಅಸಮಾನ ಅಂಕಿ ಅಂಶವು ಬದಲಾಗಬೇಕಾದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜಕೀಯವು ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಾತಿನಿಧಿಕವಲ್ಲ, ಅಂತರ್ಗತವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು.

ಹೊಸ ಯುಗದ ರಾಜಕೀಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಿತೃಪ್ರಭುತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸ್ಥಾನವಿರಬಾರದು, ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ವನವಾಸವನ್ನು ಕೊನೆಗೊಳಿಸುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಪಕ್ಷಗಳು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಇಚ್ಛಾಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ಅವಕಾಶಗಳು, ಮಾನ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು access ಮೂಲಕ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರನ್ನು ರಾಜಕೀಯವಾಗಿ ಸಬಲೀಕರಣಗೊಳಿಸಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ರಾಜಕೀಯವಾಗಿ ಅಸ್ಪೃಶ್ಯರಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು!

ಕವಿತಾರೆಡ್ಡಿ

www.kavithareddy.in