독립 이후 인도 달리뜨(Dalit) 운동의 한 단면: 달리뜨 팬터(Dalit Panther)의 예를 중심으로 본 1970년대 마하라슈트라

Abstract

Maharashtrian political scene in 1970s has witnessed the vanishing political identity of Dalits due to the fission of the Republican Party of India(RPI, afterwards), one of the typical Dalit party, and to the co-option of its factional leaders to the Indian National Congress(Congress, afterwards). Dalit youth with comparatively high standard of education and consciousness were depressed out of scanty opportunities they could find in the society and atrocities and discriminations their fellow Dalits had to suffer in the villages. They were sensitive enough to perceive these problems with critical mind. Initially they expressed their anger through literary activities and later with more politics and action-oriented activity of 'Dalit Panther,' inspired by 'Black Panther,' a Black social movement which was successfully developed from the Black literary movement. Dalit Panther, founded by Dalit youth of Bombay, rapidly spread to the Western Maharashtra and then to the other parts of Maharashtra also. It may be because that the problems founders of Panther have raised were common to Dalit public in general. No political party was sympathetic to the agony of Dalit public, nor tried to solve the problems. "Dalit Panther Manifesto" criticized Congress government, attached to Hindu-feudalism, oppressing Dalits, Dalit politicians who were keen rather to fill their "beggars' bowl" with alms from the Congress than to make solutions for the Dalit problems, and Left parties busy with power struggle in the parliament forgetting oppressed labour class, i.e., Dalits in broad sense. Initial answer Panther put forward for these problems was "total revolution" on the basis of leftist world view, i.e., confrontation between haves and have-nots. It was the time of Bombay bi-election in 1974, when Panther was regarded potential power in the political field demonstrating their influence on Dalit public. Panther successfully carried on boycott campaign of the election and made the Congress candidate defeated. Worli riots broke out, however, as a result of resentment and political antagonism between Dalits-Buddhists and Hindutva power. Though mass violation occurred following the caste-line, property of early Panther gave it a touch of class struggle. Again in 1977, Marathwada riots flared up as an aftermath of the re-naming movement of Marathwada University after Dr. Ambedkar. Re-naming movement did not meet the goal due to its purely casteist feature, unlike the case of election boycott, and to the feudal and conservative atmosphere of Marathwada region. Dalit Panther as well as other groups withdrew from the movement after moderate range of attempts. Panther showed signs of fission after Worli riots. First, Dhale and Dhasal separated into two different panthers and both of them repeated splits. Two cardinal leaders of Panther, Dhale and Dhasal had disputes on ideology and strategy of the movement. They also distrusted each other regarding funds. Finally Dhale launched 'Mass Movement' with moderatism and other faction from Dhale-Panther, 'Maharashtra Dalit Panther' became active in Marathwada University re-naming movement. Dhasal-Panther changed its rudder to support the Congress, ousting its members with radical leftist tendency, and faded away. Since then, the effective co-option of Dalit leaders into the shade of the Congress made Maharashtrian Dalit movement again accommodated itself to the status quo. Phule-Ambedkar tradition of non-Brahman movement and history of struggle for rights are now being eclipsed by moderatism and co-option. The combative Dalit movement of Dalit Panthers in 1970s, however, influenced movements of other areas and seeded with independent Dalit movement.