http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/105732/India/dalit-cooks-divide-up-schoolkids.html
Dalit cooks divide UP schoolkids Piyush Srivastava Lucknow, July 17, 2010 Maya's statues fail to raise her stature among Dalit voters 'Maya spends Rs 4,436 cr on statues' Maya recruits force to guard parks Maya govt completes 3 years Over 1,000 students have left primary schools over Dalit cooksAt least 1,000 students belonging to upper castes and the other backward classes (OBCs) in Uttar Pradesh have shifted from government to private schools to avoid mid-day meals prepared by Dalit cooks. The primary school students in Kannauj and Kanpur ( rural) districts decided to give the meals a skip despite the fact that the state is governed by the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP), whose leader and chief minister Mayawati is a Dalit icon. In the 2007 UP assembly elections, the BSP had piggybacked on the support from the Dalit- Brahmin combine to come to power. But once there, Mayawati and her party failed to bridge the gap between the upper castes and the Dalits. Rather than achieving social harmony, it has led to increased casteism as is evident from the fact that the students have been boycotting schools over Dalit cooks. In the last three days, at least 500 students in Kannauj have stopped attending school for this reason. "We cannot allow our children to take meal cooked by an untouchable," said Ram Vilas Yadav, a villager from Madarpur in Kanpur ( rural). For a nation which is fast emerging as a global player, it is unfortunate that casteism and untouchability are still prevalent. What is worrying is that Mahatma Gandhi's ideals about a classless society seem to have been forgotten. And this is no isolated incident. In July 2009, upper caste students in at least 15 villages of Kannauj had stopped going to government schools. This year, the OBC students, too, joined them when schools reopened after the summer vacation. The crisis intensified on Saturday when parents ransacked the Majhigawan Primary School in Kannauj over a Dalit cook and pelted stones at the police. Similar scenes were also witnessed at Mairakhpur village in Kanpur ( rural) where over 200 villagers attacked a primary school, ransacked property and sealed the kitchen. This has mounted pressure on the BSP which had passed a diktat making it compulsory for every government school to appoint a Dalit cook where there are two vacancies. Trouble started when the village chiefs and village secretaries, who are authorised to appoint the cooks, went a step further and employed a Dalit in the job even when there was a single vacancy. In a bid to salvage the situation, the government has now asked district level officers to replace Dalit cooks in case there is a problem. "There are reports that more than 1,000 students in Kannauj and Kanpur ( rural) have left school in protest against Dalit cooks. Although there was no written communication, the officers in districts have been asked to appoint upper caste cooks," said a senior officer of the education department. Talking about the state government's previous stance, the officer said, " Earlier, it was under pressure from the ruling BSP leaders that the village representatives used to appoint a Dalit cook against a single vacancy. The chief minister knew about it and used to appreciate these local representatives." The officer said that Mayawati must have realised the mistake following reactions from parents. "Now we have been told that there must be an upper caste cook against a single vacancy and in any case, the head cook has to be from the upper caste. The Dalit cook will be involved in cleaning work only. "The government is in no mood to drag this issue because it might damage the political prospects of the BSP, which is trying to keep the upper castes and the OBCs in good humour," the officer added. Even as damage control measures are undertaken, Saroj Kumar Tiwari, district magistrate of Kanpur ( rural), blamed some political parties for creating a hue and cry. "Some mischievous elements active in the district are vitiating the atmosphere and dividing people before the panchayat elections ( in September)," Tiwari said.