New Delhi: In what is being seen as a historic victory for Hindu Americans, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the controversial anti-caste-discrimination bill SB403, which was passed by the California State Assembly. Several Hindu American organizations had launched a massive advocacy campaign to urge the Governor of California to send back this bill as it singled out Hindus, a minority community in the US, while the US Constitution already provides for all types of Provisions covering discrimination and sole discretion were in place. The only evidence of caste discrimination present in the American context was the widely cited CISCO case, which has been dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The Governor of California vetoed the bill on the grounds that it was unnecessary and “California already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.” Is, and state law specifies it.” These civil rights protections shall be liberally construed”.
The vetoing of the bill by the California governor comes at a time when Hindus are increasingly being targeted in the West for their faith. In the name of combating caste discrimination, lobbies representing vested interests in the US are introducing a series of so-called anti-caste discrimination bills, which would allow caste profiling of Hindu Americans and pit them against each other in the name of caste. A call has been made to stand up. There is ample evidence that many Indian Americans do not even know what caste they belong to. Hindu temples are being attacked and vandalized in America, Canada and Europe. There has been a rise in hate crimes against Hindus in western countries. In such a scenario, there is a lobby that wants to demonize Hindus and portray them as criminals instead of taking measures to redress their grievances and ensure their safety. In that sense, the vetoing of SB403 is a victory for Hindus around the world. In fact, it is a strong statement against Hinduphobia and legitimizing Hindu hatred.
America’s Dalit and Bahujan communities have played an important role in the fight against the California Anti-Caste Discrimination Bill. Aldrin Deepak, tech worker, steering committee leader of the Coalition of Hindus of North America, and Dalit activist, says, “As a longtime San Francisco resident and a proud Hindu American, I support Governor Newsom’s decision to veto SB403. Really grateful for the action taken. , I joined CoHNA and this fight because I was horrified by how hate groups like Equality Labs have tried to appropriate my identity and weaponize it against Hinduism. As a Dalit, I reject Equality Labs’ efforts to speak for me or my community, that they silence people like me and subject us to subjective things like last name, dietary preferences, skin color, and more. Let’s try to profile on the criteria.
According to various organizations campaigning against the California Anti-Caste Discrimination Bill, the mainstream media in the US is biased in its portrayal of issues related to Hindus, and it chooses to conveniently ignore Dalit and Bahujan voices opposing the Hinduphobic bill. .
We spoke to Richa Gautam who is the founder and policy director of Castfiles, an advocacy think tank. She has been closely involved in the campaign against SB403; Richa elaborated on the hurdles faced by various organizations while raising their voice against the bill. She says, “The main hurdle was that the media was biased and controlled and they did not listen to our side – even if Dalit Americans spoke – only their spokespersons were quoted, while people against the bill were silenced.”
The mainstream media in both the US and India create the impression that America’s Dalit community was in staunch favor of California’s Anti-Caste Discrimination Bill. If you read news reports on this issue from mainstream Indian publications, most of the Dalit sources quoted by them can be seen speaking in favor of the Bill. But according to Hindu American organizations like CoHNA and advocacy group Castfiles, the ground reality is different.
Milind Makwana, a member of the Dalit-Bahujan community, died outside the Cupertino City Council in California after a long and arduous struggle against the anti-caste discrimination bill. “Dalit Americans against SB403 faced discrimination in mainstream media and were not allowed to speak. They played a very important role in educating lawmakers and shared their proud legacy, which is not the same as the fake definitions of Equality Labs, but has a very rich history”, says Richa Gautam.
It’s strange that voices of all communities carry a certain degree of legitimacy when it comes to issues impacting them, but Hindus are “barred” from speaking for their own issues. If there is an issue impacting Muslims or Christians, it’s normal to have spokespersons of Islamic or Christian organizations sharing their viewpoint, and their viewpoint is widely promoted by the mainstream media. But in the case of Hindus, the viewpoint of organizations representing their interests is branded as “Hindutva propaganda”. Perhaps that explains the discrediting of Dalit voices being highlighted by the organizations representing Hindu interests in the US.
As the Ambedkar Phule Network of American Dalits and Bahujans puts it, “While we welcome the vetoSB403 by honorable Gavin Newsom, we are deeply pained with the apathy of most of California’s senators and assembly members. Irrespective of our countless requests, they unfortunately hardly bothered to hear us. Our gratitude to countless marginalized families, children, and elderly alike, who stood up for Social Justice, irrespective of struggles and threats to their well-being. This is only one step towards justice through our struggle”.
