Dalits look West

Dalits want more. And if they don't get it in India, they will go abroad to get it.

- PLAIN POLITICS ADITI PHADNIS

This is the message of the Dalits Quit India Party (DQIP), launched by the public intellectual and a shining light in Dalit political thought, Chandra Bhan Prasad. Not yet registered as a political party, the grouping is nevertheless going to be a powerful force in shaping the trajectory of Dalit thought.

Babasaheb B R Ambedkar's central message to Dalits was: Education. Indeed, one of his most famous words of advice was "educate, agitate, organise; have faith in yourselves". Ambedkar was the first untouchable in India to earn a PhD and study abroad, thanks to a scholarship from the Maharaja of Baroda, which enabled him to complete a PhD at both Columbia University and the London School of Economics (LSE), in addition to a law degree.