Thank you, sir.
You're right. Durban actually was the first global meeting at which Dalits finally managed at least to come and be present, even though they were not given a full place at the table for discussion.
Problem number two has been an ongoing battle with the Indian political establishment, which for the past 60 years, unfortunately, has by and large represented the interests of the upper castes. In terms of getting into the UN resolution, discrimination by descent is condemned by the UN resolution, and that should include discrimination based on caste, because caste is an issue of discrimination on the basis of birth, on the basis of who you are born and where you are born in the caste system. There is not a single Indian anywhere in the world, of whatever religion, who is not born into a particular caste and caste position. There is not a single Indian who does not know the position he was born into.
That was the Durban conference. My hope here is that Canada, in its interventions in the United Nations, will take the lead in UN deliberations. Another conference, Durban 2, is taking place soon under the auspices of the new human rights commission. It is a review, and my hope is that Canada will take the lead in bringing this issue to the fore.
You asked why, given the size and the scope of the problem, that it has not become the issue it should be. The answer to this, sir, is simply that apart from the last decade and a half, in the global sphere the Dalits have been completely voiceless. Today the Dalits of India are asking conscientized Indians of all professions, including politicians, and conscientized global society, to please become their voice. Because there is no voice, and because the propaganda machine works in another direction, this knowledge is not known.