Today, at the White House event, US Vice President spoke about the social divide in India and how it affected her as a child, and why social equality is an important topic in Asian communities in America. The man behind this statement was special guest Deelip Mhaske, a trueAmbedkrite, a hero and man who fathered the anti-caste legislation movement in the USA 20 years ago. In India, Deelip Mhaske is known for his work in building the Anti-Corruption movement in India with Shri Anna Hazare, Mayank Gandhi, Jay Prakash Narayan (Lok Satta NGO).
Deelip was able to pilot an anti-corruption movement during the 2004 Maharashtra elections, where he and Anna Hazare first time traveled all over Maharashtra and received tremendous support. This was the foundation Deelip Mhaske built, and later expanded nationally, where Arvind Kejriwal and others joined. In return, Arvind Kejriwal asked Deelip Mhaske to run Lok Sabha election from the Jalna constituency.
Soon after the successful launch of the Anna movement, Deelip Mhaske, then a lawyer at Mumbai High Court, wasdevasted whenKhairlanjiMassacre happened. He along with his collegue, and Sabrina Buckwalter created a series of print media stories on the Masscare, when nothing worked, Deelip Mhaske went to the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, and did three days hunger strike infront of the UN Headquarters in Geneva.
This moved help UN Human Right Council to take a note and asked report from India, it not only gained the attention of the then Prime Minister but helped to get justice forBhotamange Family with 19 people convicted in the massacre, the first in Indian History.
Soon after this case, Deelip Mhaske dishearten by the treatment of Dalit, Deelip left India with one and only goal in mind, first he moved to Geneva and later settled in USA, where he build an unbreakable network with international agencies, prime ministers, and various countries representative to include Caste atrocities global human rights issue.
He testified in the United Nations against caste atrocities and asked United Nations to include Caste as an human rights issue, which was adopted the UN Human Right Council, where he once worked.
Although Deelip Mhaske’s life story is beyond the Slumdog millionaire movie, his parents are landless laborers, but due to his studious nature, he passed Government Law College, Indian Institute of Technology, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, Rutgers University and most recently becoming Artificial Intelligence expert from John’s Hopkins University. He has 5 masterdegree’s, 2 bachelor’s and doctoral degree in waiting. Making him the only Dalit to earn 4 post-master degrees outside India.
Father of Anti-Caste movement in USA:
Overlast 20 years in USA, Deelip Mhaske, through his non profit Foundation For Human Horizon, a United Nations accredited NGO, has not just worked with the last four presidential campaigns but has become the much-respected voice of the Indian Diaspora in the USA, including assisting in hosting a Presidential Campaign fundraiser to President Biden at Ambassador David Cohen house, to hosting other US congressman fundraisers across the USA. He is well known in all the South Asian communities and corridors of US Congress where he also celebrates Diwali and Dr. Ambedkar Birth Anniversary together.
Deelip was able to garner support from all the Asian Communities in the USA, and frequent visitors of Indian politicians to the USA, including the Prime Minister. Despite his anti-caste movement, Prime Minister Modi supports Deelip Mhaske’s work to let the world know about Dr. Ambedkar work by organizing his birth anniversary at the United Nations Headquarters. Prime Minister has been working on the episode on Mann Ki Baat on Deelip Mhaske.
After Prime Minister Modi realized this, he was able to host Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on the world stage, where the World Bank, World Health Organization, and more than 100 countries heads participate in this annual event as social equality day. At the Prime minister’s office, he has been known as Ambedkar’s man at United Nations, whom Prime Minister Modi trusts deeply.
After successful advocacy with United Nations, to celebrate Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, when Indian Bureaucrat Tanmay Lal refused to work with Deelip Mhaske and Ambedkarties to celebrate birth anniversary at UN. Deelip simultaneously worked with the US Congressand introduced the bill to celebrate
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birth anniversary at the US Congress, which was introduced by Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Representative. Ami Bera was supported by many other congress representatives across the US Congress.Sine 2018, 2019, 2021 which will make Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birth anniversary official in US Congress as well as the White House. A historical tribute to Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy, no one was able to achieve it.
Historic Step by Deelip Mhaske at US Congress in 2006.
After Khairlanji, when the Indian Government blacklisted Sabrina Buckwalter, an American reporter, who assisted Deelip Mhaske in covering Kharlanji Massacre in English print media. In 2006-2007 Deelip Mhaske, along with other Dalit activists, met New Jersey Black Caucus and senators Christopher H. Smith as well as then-Senator and later Vice President Mike Pence to work on the caste atrocities worldwide in Infront of the US Congress Committee on International Relations.
The historic first committee met at the US Congress along with 32 US congressmen and senators’ support to US House resolutions 315 to introduce the Bill to include Caste as a civil rights issue in the USA. Currently, California, Seattle, and more than 12 states are considering to pass the law with Deelip’s advocacy as an federal employee.
Only Ambedkrites worked with four US Presidential Campaign:
Deelip worked and participated in last 4 US presidential campaign. While working with President Obama’s campaign, Deelip was able to provide copies of Dr. Ambedkar’s speech to Candidate Obama which later President Obama’s famous speech in Indian Lok Sabha, referred Dr. Ambedkar’s pioneering work.
Adding to great success just last year, Representative Ilhan Omar, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, and Representative Juan Vargas passed the U.S. Congress resolution 1196 condemning atrocities on Dalits, Tribals, and other minorities in India and supported the pass a bill to protect Asian American’s from Caste related discrimination in USA.
One of the early success of Deelip Mhaske’s work in US Congress was Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, who first introduced the bill in the USA Congress and soon going to be law. Till now Deelip was able to garner almost 200 US congressmen/women support including Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden, just short of a simple majority 218 of 435. He is hoping by the next US presidential election in 2024, Caste will be included as a civil rights violation in the USA.
Deelip Mhaske in the White House celebration of social equality by Vice President Harris almost closing deal on the US Congress support to make Caste a civil right issue in the USA. A move he thinks not divide Indians but strengthen all Indians’ dream of a “Casteless Society” not just in the USA but in India too. The move that Prime Minister Modi finds the birth of the second era of Ambedkar Movement, and will strengthen India’s image globally. In fact, it’s the only hurdle most of the developed countries not recognizing India superpower.
Deelip Mhaske’s leadership was not just recognized by Prime Minister of India, but Prime Minister of New Zealnd, Prime Minister of Iceland, United Nations Secretary-General, President Biden and Vice President Kamla Harris. He was able to give justice to Dr. Ambedkar’s work, a true unsung hero, who is not building India’s image globally but actively helping thousands of marginalized community student to learn Artificial Intelligence a theme of 132nd Birth Anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in the United Nations.
When speaking about the various Dalit groups’ approach to the new legislations in California and Seattle, Deelip Mhaske’s was very cautious and dishearten. He mentioned, he never heard of these groups before, but last few years, through Anti-India supporters, they are gaining international media attention, and dividing Indian Diaspora. American Hindu’s are not opposing Caste legislation, in fact, all US Hindu congressmen and women support the Bill to celebrate Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary in US Congress and the White House.
They are a strong supporter of introducing a bill to include Caste inthe Civil Rights Act. Very specifically he mentioned a few USA-born activists who never experienced Caste Atrocities, using caste messages in dividing the country for self-promotion and not hurting India’s image but also Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy.
President Biden’s scheduled trip to India in September, and having trust of President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, we will be not surprised to see Deelip Mhaske playing bigger role to strengthen India-USA ties. Deelip Mhaske and his team work on a global platform, not just fathered the world’s 1st Anti-Caste movement outside the USA, but a true new Ambedkrite movement is born, a movement that believes in India’s democracy and making India a superpower globally. This movement may have put seeds for the new era of Ambedkar, a true legacy of Bharat Ratna Dr. Ambedkar.
