Ambedkar gives 2 more days to Cong for tie-up

Nagpur: Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi (BVA) leader Prakash Ambedkar has now given two more days to the Congress to decide on a pre-poll tie-up. Talks between the Congress-NCP and BVA leaders in last two months have seen several twists and turns.
“This will be the final chance. If they fail to make a meaningful offer, the BVA will declare its list of all 48 candidates for Lok Sabha seats in the state,” Ambedkar said at a press conference in Akola. But even while saying so, Ambedkar set yet another improbable condition. He now wants the Congress to accept as their own candidates all the 22 BVA nominees whose names he has already announced.

“If the Congress agrees, these 22 candidates would contest on Congress symbol. In any case, the Congress is not able to find strong candidates in many of the seats, including Nagpur, so why not accept my candidates as I will not be able to withdraw them at this stage,” said Ambedkar.

Earlier, he had set February 28 as deadline for the Congress to decide. At that time, he had set a vague condition that Congress should first give him a foolproof plan of how it would bring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the framework of Constitution.

Asked about his Monday’s announcement of contesting from Solapur as well as Akola, he said it was not final. “Wait and watch till March 15,” was his refrain. He also said that in case the BVA contests all 48 seats on its own, it would target the BJP-Sena as its prime rival and not the Congress. “Our fight will be with the communal forces,” he declared.

Meanwhile, asked if there was any chance of fielding his wife, Anjali, from Akola, Ambedkar ruled it out saying none from his family was interested in electoral politics.