Flagging a recent incident from Kendrapara in Odisha, where parents refused to send their children to an anganwadi centre after an educated Dalit woman was appointed helper‑cum‑cook, forcing the centre to remain shut for nearly three months, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said such caste discrimination was “shameful” and affected dignity, career progress and personal safety.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Mr. Kharge said, “In the 21st century, when we talk about social development, social reform, and the unity of Hindus, people of a particular community are refusing to let their children eat food cooked by a Dalit woman who is a helper‑cum‑cook in an anganwadi centre in Odisha. That anganwadi centre has been boycotted for the last three months.”
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He said the anganwadi system formed the foundation of a child’s physical and cognitive development. “But if there is such racial [caste] discrimination, it will naturally affect children’s growth,” the Congress leader said, adding that such incidents directly affected the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution.
Mr. Kharge said caste discrimination at workplaces was being reported from different parts of the country. “Had investigations been done timely, future incidents would have been averted,” he said.
