A charade of eating food at Dalit’s home to cover up casteism
Two issues- village stay and stay at Dalit’s homes- were politically debated upon quite a bit when HD Kumaraswamy was the chief minister of the state. The subject of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy staying at a Dalit’s house was discussed both positively and negatively. It was termed as another way of encouraging untouchability and thus was an indirect insult to Dalits. At the same time, some experts opined that by staying at the homes of his people and listening to their problems, a chief minister could be closer to the people. In spite of such debates, village stay programme has brought some popularity to Kumaraswamy.
After the visit of Pejawar Mutt’s seer to dalit colonies grabbed the headlines. The seer provided an ‘opportunity’ to dalits to have his ‘paada pooja’ at dalit colonies. In Christianity, there is a practice that Pope himself would wash the feet of his devotees once in a year. Though touching the feet of another person or washing them is a symbol of slavery, there is a difference in a senior religious head washing the feet of his devotees and the devotees washing the feet of a seer. If the Pope washed the feet of his devotees, it would symbolize the equality. However, devotees washing the feet of the religious head would be the symbol of inequality. Had the Pejawar seer washed the feet of his dalits after visiting their colonies, it would have given a big message to the society. But the Pejawar seer has exhibited the washing of his feet by the Dalits as a favor to the community. This has further insulted the Dalit community instead improving their condition.
Now, it is the turn of central BJP leaders. They have been carrying out this charade of staying at dalits homes. Because of the RSS, the BJP has been facing the wrath of dalits across the country. After Koregaon Vijay Diwas, this anger exploded publicly. Close on the heels of mass atrocity on dalits in several parts of the country, the central government has tried to weaken the SC/ST law through the court. Opposing this vehemently, Dalits plunged into the streets and turned North India into a war field. It was reported that not only police but also BJP leaders fired against protesting dalits in which more than 10 dalits were killed. At this moment, some of the Sangha Pariwar leaders have talked about changing of reservation and Constitution. Not only this, Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde has termed the protesting leaders as “street dogs” against which dalits have protested in front of BJP national president Amith Shah in Karnataka. Across the country, dalits have started opposing the BJP and Sangha Pariwar. In order to pacify the dalits, the BJP and Sangha Pariwar have started another farce of “having food at the homes of dalits”. But there is a sign that even this would boomerang.
Any act of the BJP and Sangha Pariwar lacking honesty would once again salt the wounds of Dalits. The issue of an Uttar Pradesh BJP Minister having food at a house of dalit has become a point of contention. The leader who visited the house of dalit had food brought from a hotel. After knowing that the leader had even brought bottle water from the outside to drink, there is no further need to discuss his intentions. Statements of some BJP leaders are really shocking. One MP of Uttar Pradesh said that BJP leaders having food at the homes of dalits is like Sri Rama having food in their houses. According to them, the dalits would be purified if the BJP leaders had food in their houses.
Interestingly, Union Minister Uma Bharati herself condemned such statements,“I am not Sri Rama to purify dalits”she says. This statement is also an indirect insult to the dalits. What all these BJP leaders are saying in essence is that dalits are not pure or holy. Declining to have food at a mass programme organized at Naugaon, Uma Bharati said that “I am not Sri Rama to make dalits holy. We will become holy or pure only when dalits came to our homes and have food”, she added. This statement has maturity. Those who have been thinking that having food at dalits’ homes itself is a revolution or achievement are fixed in the filth of Manu theory. At the same time Uma Bharati also added another sentence that making Dalit leader Ramanath Kovind as the President itself is an instance that BJP has good relationship with dalits. Though such a statement seems to be right, one would suspect the very move of the party which has faith in Manu Smriti, in appointing a Dalit as the President. They might have conspired to change the Constitution through a Dalit President. On the lines how the Sangha Pariwar has been utilizing the dalits and backward classes, BJP might have been using dalits to implement anti-dalit law, remove reservation and change the Constitution. Dalit community would have to face more problems from a Dalit President who has been greatly influenced by Sangha Pariwar ideologies. Why are the attacks of Dalits increasing even after making a Dalit as the President of the country? Why did the court take a decision to make the SC/ST Act toothless? Why have they killed the protesting Dalits? Uma Bharati has to answer these questions.
Dalits will not become pure by having meals at the houses of Dalits. Efforts should be taken to ensure all rights entitled to dalits in the Constitution. Dalits would themselves improve their condition. Let the BJP leaders tell the dalits of this country about the programmes taken by the government in this regard. Apart from this, there is no much difference between what Gandhi termed Dalits as ‘harijan’ and BJP leaders having food at the homes of dalits to make them holy or pure. Ambedkar had asked when Dalits are the children of the God, what about the others. By having food at the homes of Dalits, the BJP leaders have been left scratching as to why their ‘graciousness’ has been rejected.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
