Sena pays court to RPI chief’s foe Prakash Ambedkar
Backs him in his protest against demolition of Dadar’s Ambedkar Bhavan.
Now that the BJP has inducted Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale into the union council of ministers, its ally, the Shiv Sena has taken the diagonally opposite course by throwing its weight behind Athawale’s archrival, Prakash Ambedkar, over the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan on Gokuldas Pasta Lane in Dadar (East).
Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe and Mayor Snehal Ambekar visited the site of the teardown on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with Prakash. A host of other Sena and Dalit leaders were part of the visit.
Ambedkar Bhavan, which housed apre-Independent printing press, was partially pulled down on June 26 in the small hours, sparking a confrontation between Ambedkar’s grandsons —Prakash, Anandraj and Bhimrao — and the People’s Improvement Trust (PIT), which was entrusted with the place and which sanctioned its teardown, purportedly to erect a 17-storey building.
“The Ambedkar family is being defamed and that is not right,” Gorhe said, referring to the allegations made by PIT that the Ambedkar brothers are trying to control the trust and the property.
Sena’s move assumes significance, coming as it does before the BMC polls scheduled for February, especially since the saffron party is not known to appease Dalits.
“The politics over razing of Ambedkar Bhavan is likely to snowball in the coming months, before the civic polls. Sena’s visit is being seen as an attempt to warm up to Prakash to get even with Athawale, who was recently inducted into the central council of ministers by BJP,” a political observer said.
Prakash, who founded the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM), has managed to gain support among the Dalit community and steal a march over Athawale on the issue of the controversial demolition. He has termed the act a ‘deliberate attack’ on the Ambedkarite movement and a ploy to dilute Dalit ideology by exploiting the land commercially.
Now, in order to lodge protest against the demolition, Prakash has organised a state-wide rally to Vidhan Bhavan, and several Ambedkarite groups and political parties are expected to take part in it. Prakash said he would welcome anyone who supports him over the issue.
While Athawale was originally allied with the Sena, he switched allegiance after the 2014 general elections and moved to the BJP. Later, the BJP nominated him to Rajya Sabha. Earlier this month, as part of the Union cabinet expansion, he was sworn in as a Minister of State by the ruling BJP.
Political fray over teardown
This paper has consistently been reporting on the political tussle pitting Dr BR Ambedkar’s grandsons against those at the helm of PIT, including state information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, a onetime bureaucrat, who faces an FIR for the demolition.
PIT has maintained there is nothing illegal about the demolition.
It said the building was pulled down after all requisite permissions were taken from the authorities. Incidentally, according to officials at BMC, which is run by the Sena and the BJP, the structure’s hall was in a dilapidated condition. The redevelopment project being planned at the site would cost Rs 60 crore, and the trust claims the state government would finance part of it.
Now that the BJP has inducted Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale into the union council of ministers, its ally, the Shiv Sena has taken the diagonally opposite course by throwing its weight behind Athawale’s archrival, Prakash Ambedkar, over the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan on Gokuldas Pasta Lane in Dadar (East).
Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe and Mayor Snehal Ambekar visited the site of the teardown on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with Prakash. A host of other Sena and Dalit leaders were part of the visit.
“This is a sensitive social issue. Since we all respect Dr Babasaheb Ambekdar, we are supporting his legacy. Under the guidance of Sena president Uddhavji Thackeray we will follow up on the matter with the BMC and the state government,” Gorhe said.
Ambedkar Bhavan, which housed apre-Independent printing press, was partially pulled down on June 26 in the small hours, sparking a confrontation between Ambedkar’s grandsons —Prakash, Anandraj and Bhimrao — and the People’s Improvement Trust (PIT), which was entrusted with the place and which sanctioned its teardown, purportedly to erect a 17-storey building.
“The Ambedkar family is being defamed and that is not right,” Gorhe said, referring to the allegations made by PIT that the Ambedkar brothers are trying to control the trust and the property.
Sena’s move assumes significance, coming as it does before the BMC polls scheduled for February, especially since the saffron party is not known to appease Dalits.
“The politics over razing of Ambedkar Bhavan is likely to snowball in the coming months, before the civic polls. Sena’s visit is being seen as an attempt to warm up to Prakash to get even with Athawale, who was recently inducted into the central council of ministers by BJP,” a political observer said.
Prakash, who founded the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM), has managed to gain support among the Dalit community and steal a march over Athawale on the issue of the controversial demolition. He has termed the act a ‘deliberate attack’ on the Ambedkarite movement and a ploy to dilute Dalit ideology by exploiting the land commercially.
Now, in order to lodge protest against the demolition, Prakash has organised a state-wide rally to Vidhan Bhavan, and several Ambedkarite groups and political parties are expected to take part in it. Prakash said he would welcome anyone who supports him over the issue.
While Athawale was originally allied with the Sena, he switched allegiance after the 2014 general elections and moved to the BJP. Later, the BJP nominated him to Rajya Sabha. Earlier this month, as part of the Union cabinet expansion, he was sworn in as a Minister of State by the ruling BJP.
Political fray over teardown
This paper has consistently been reporting on the political tussle pitting Dr BR Ambedkar’s grandsons against those at the helm of PIT, including state information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, a onetime bureaucrat, who faces an FIR for the demolition.
PIT has maintained there is nothing illegal about the demolition.
It said the building was pulled down after all requisite permissions were taken from the authorities. Incidentally, according to officials at BMC, which is run by the Sena and the BJP, the structure’s hall was in a dilapidated condition. The redevelopment project being planned at the site would cost Rs 60 crore, and the trust claims the state government would finance part of it.
