New Delhi, December 13 (IANS). The first meeting of the SC Advisory Council of the Congress Party was held. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge participated in this and also addressed the meeting. During this he also gave a strict promise to the people to eliminate discrimination. Addressing the meeting, the Congress President said that the Congress had taken a strong pledge to eradicate the discrimination prevalent in the society even before independence. The party says that it is the responsibility of the state to bring equality in society and two major laws have been made for this. He referred to the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and said that it makes untouchability and all its forms a punishable offence. Along with this, while referring to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, he said that Rajiv Gandhi’s government had made it. This law for the first time said that atrocities on Dalits is not just a crime, it is an attack on social justice. He said that later Congress governments strengthened it further, such as the ban on bail for the accused, speedy investigation, more compensation and special courts for victims. Describing education as the biggest weapon of Dalit empowerment, Kharge said that Congress believes that education is the path to social equality, hence we have started a post-matric scholarship scheme, pre-matric scholarship, hostels for SC boys and girls, and top class education scheme. Along with this, programs like reservation for SCs in IIT-IIM and medical colleges, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, mid-day meal and RTE, due to which the school attendance of Dalit children has increased rapidly. He further said that today there are thousands of SC doctors, engineers, teachers, officers and entrepreneurs in the country and their journey started with this policy. He also said that those who raised the voice of Dalits were attacked. Be it the Rohith Vemula issue, the action after Bhima-Koregaon, or the discrimination against Dalit students in universities, the government has tried everywhere to suppress the Dalit voice. The Congress President said that the rights given by the Constitution are being taken away. Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar said, “The measure of progress of a society is how secure its weakest person is.” He said that today the situation is reversed. The continuous policy of weakening reservation, cutting Dalit jobs through privatization, the decline in SC/ST faculty recruitment in universities, prove that the government is weakening the Constitution which has social justice at its foundation. He said that Manuwadi mentality is being promoted. This is the same government that sometimes in its documents, speeches and policies promotes thinking that justifies discrimination, not equality. We won’t let that happen. We will not allow Baba Saheb’s Constitution to be weakened at any cost! –IANS amt/dkp