'Caste census needed, it'll hold mirror to society'

In this edition of Delhi Dialogues, Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar fields questions on a range of issues on Dalit politics

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Shahid Faridi: We have among us the rising star of equality politics who has worked for almost two decades in fostering social and political awakening among different depressed classes, especially Dalits. Chandrashekhar scored a stunning victory on his own as a candidate of his Azad Samaj Party fighting against the mammoth machinery of the BJP and the huge presence of the Congress and Samajwadi Party.

Chandra Shekhar Azad: I belong to a small village which was earlier in Uttarakhand and now on the UP border. I did my education there up to inter-college. Then I took admission in DAV PG College Dehradun. I completed my law from there. My father wanted me to go abroad for further education. In 2009, cybercrime was a serious subject. My father believed if I have a course on cyber crime from abroad, I'll get a good opportunity here. However, his health deteriorated third-stage lung cancer.

The circumstances turned my life upside down. In 2013, he passed away. I believe he had something on his mind when he used to tell me, 'I don't know anyone here working for Baba Saheb (Ambedkar) and Kashi Ram ji's mission (BSP founder). I don't know when the depressed class will stand on their own feet'.

I thought I'd dedicate my life to that moment. In 2014, we formed a social organisation, Bhim Army. In 2017, an incident at Sabbirpur near Deoband escalated. I informed the administration, but then I was falsely accused. I was implicated in 40 cases. I spent 16 months in jail.