New Delhi, Dec. 15 :
After the Brahmins launched a tirade against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for not doing enough for them, it is the turn of the barber caste to rise in protest.
They have sent an open letter to South Block demanding something be done for the ?four crore members? of the barber community. They will hold a countrywide conference of nais at Shirdee, Maharashtra, on February 7 and 8.
Like the Brahmins, the barbers have launched their movement from Uttar Pradesh. The leader of the barbers, who identifies himself as Dhruvnarain Advocate, from Gorakhpur said: ?We make others look handsome. Others must contribute handsomely to improve our lot.?
The demands by the nai community are similar to those voiced by the most backward castes (MBCs). Advocate said that a conspiracy to deprive the barbers of their economic and political rights was still continuing. He demanded that the Centre install a full-length statue of Karpoori Thakur ? a prominent nai ? in Delhi.
Other demands of the community include redistribution of vested land among the MBCs, including barbers, and that gun licences be issued to them without any conditions.