Maharashtra government has put restrictions on using the word ‘Dalit’ in all official documents and communications. This comes a year after the central government issued a notification asking all state governments to abstain from using the word ‘Dalit’.
Ahead of 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government has officially asked all its departments to use Schedule Caste instead of the word ‘Dalit’ to describe the community. A notification regarding the same was issued by the Social Justice Department’s Joint Secretary DR Dingle.
Dingle informed that the word ‘Dalit’ will be replaced by Schedule Caste in English and ‘Anusuchit Jati’ in Marathi which is the official language of Maharashtra. This has been done while keeping in mind the directives issued by the Ministry of Social Justice.
Earlier, the central government had asked the media and all state governments to not use the word ‘Dalit’ in their communication. This was based on a verdict carried out by Bombay and Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Also Read - Will Shiv Sena Leave Its Current MLAs From Contesting Upcoming Maharashtra Polls?
However, the decision to remove or ban the word ‘Dalit’ from official documents didn’t go well with the Dalit community, and they protested against the same saying that the word has political significance and a sense of identity.
Share
Tweet
