With floundering BSP, parties try to usurp BR Ambedkar

NEW DELHI: At the heart of the political competition to appropriate Ambedkar lies the belief that collapse of Bahujan Samaj Party provides an opening to Dalits, hitherto polarized in Mayawati's favour.

The decision of the political mainstream -ruling BJP, opposition Congress -to have year-long countdown to Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary contrasts with decades of indifference that reduced the foremost thinker to being a Dalit icon.

Observers say the newfound fascination for Ambedkar stems from the premier Dalit outfit BSP's no-show in 2014 polls, with even its core base willing to indulge other alternatives. For political parties, it is a rare crack in Dalit bloc since BSP entrenched itself in UP and spread its wings in other states.

If there is rethink among Dalits in UP, Bihar too is in the throes of a churn in the wake of Jitan Ram Manjhi's revolt against JD(U) while BJP in alliance with LJP is trying to wean away Dalits, assiduously mobilized by chief minister Nitish Kumar.

"The weakening of BSP in UP has nudged BJP and Congress to tap the opportunity to win over SCs," says Vivek Kumar, JNU professor and keen observer of Dalit politics.

Politicking is seen written all over the commemorations. For Congress, the question is why has it remem bered Ambedkar after its worst electoral rout and is in the opposition. And BJP's Dalit activism is being dismissed as "symbolism" given the negligible participation of Dalits in Modi government and without a prominent face to represent the community .

But unmindful of critics, the political spectrum is set to strike a high pitch on Ambedkar. RSS-BJP will hold programmes, with the saffron mouthpiece to publish a collector's issue on the `father of the constitution'. In contrast, Congress would have a national launch from Mhow, Ambedkar's birthplace, which would culminate near "Deekshabhoomi" in Nagpur next year.

K Raju, head of Congress's Dalit cell, said the party does not want to confine Ambedkar to Dalits, calling him "one of the greatest Indians who has ever lived". He slammed RSS for its slogan of "one well, one temple, one crematorium" as trapped in the age-old discrimination narrative.