Does cultural and ethnic identity more?
So, I'm a dalit myself with a Maharashtrian background. I was scrolling through this subreddit and found a post with a person questioning the inclusion of king shivaji in buddha vihar. We cannot deny that most marathas/kunbis will actively discriminate against the Mahars in Maharashtra and I have seen online hate for SC Buddhist for denouncing hindu practices.
I am not going into the role of King Shivaji or Maratha kings in anti caste movement in Maharashtra but the reality is, most Maharastrians (irrespective of caste) revere him for his for his glory and expansionist kingdom. Also, I see slurs for people from bihar and up as 'Bimarus'.
How can dalits be more organized, like a pan-India movement as ethnicity gets more priority? There needs to be some pan-India representation as well as regional I believe. Also, how can a north India dalit person relate with a dalit man/woman from southern India or bengali dalit?
I mean, I am just confused on how we can unite better on national level. We severely lack political power.