Netas fire salvos at each other using Ambedkar’s shoulders

Their different hues notwithstanding, the leaders of various parties turned “Ambedkarites” on 127th birth anniversary of father of Indian constitution BR Ambedkar. On Saturday there was a mad rush among the parties to observe the day, pay tributes and impress Dalits to win their votes in elections.

Dalits are in the spotlight these days after they hit the streets across the country by calling Bharat bandh on April 2 in protest against the alleged “dilution” of the provision in SC/ST Act by the Supreme court that shaken the Central Government with a lot of actions and reactions. So this year the Baba saheb’s birth anniversary turned a bigger event providing an opportunity to various parties to show their love for Dalits with an eye on their votes.

Almost all parties in Bihar: RJD, JD(U), BJP, LJP, RLSP, HAM had separate and collective functions to pay tributes to Ambedkar and shower allegations at the rivals.

At the Sri Krishna Memorial Hall RJD organised the programme where HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi rubbed shoulders with Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the parties came down heavily on the BJP led Centre and accused it of conspiring to deprive dalits of their reservation. Tejashwi, the leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly, alleged that BJP and its allies in the Union Government “want to snatch away the rights granted under the constitution and even take away voting rights of dalits and backwards.”

“A central minister has clearly said that their government will change the constitution. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leaders are hell bent on snatching the reservation and they are working on their agenda,” alleged son of Lalu Prasad and called upon the dalits, backwards and minorities to get united and fight against the forces opposed to reservation.

A small distance away at Bapu Sabhagar, a part of Gyan Bhavan, the function was organised by LJP where senior leaders of BJP, JD(U) and RLSP huddled together. Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan shared dais with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad and deputy CM Sushil Kumar and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha. They had gathered to pay tributes to Ambedkar and defend Narendra Modi led Government from the opposition attack.

This was the first time that Paswan exhibited his bonhomie with Nitish and was all praise for the CM. Sushil Modi even declared that Paswan was the talest dalit leader only after Ambedkar. Flexing his muscles Chirag Paswan said the dalit society got reservation not as an alms but as a right under constitution. “There is no Rs Mai ka lal’ who can snatch away reservation right,” said Nitish and accused his rivals of using abusive language against him on social media but asserted he would not reply to them.

Tejashwi was quick to react on Rs Mai ka lal’ remark and said Nitish just copied the dialogue his father Lalu Prasad had delivered during 2015 Assembly polls when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had reportedly favoured revisiting reservation policy.

The CM said during RJD regime the annual budget for SC and ST was only Rs 40 crore which his government has now increased to Rs 1550 crore. LJP boss Paswan said Lalu’s love for dalit was a sham. He dared RJD chief to declare Jitan Ram Manjhi as CM face and added that it was Nitish who made Manjhi CM.

The JD(U) earlier held a programme at Haj Bhavan which was also attended by Nitish. At a different programme Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced exclusive BPO at 100 villages for dalits where he said five to ten women would be engaged. He also announced to establish digital villages. Prasad on this occasion had lunch with group of dalit digitally literate women at a five star hotel.