IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, August 26: Amidst the ongoing nationwide Dalit agitations following the Una incident, Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, has asked Dalits to get united and confront RSS on its agenda of cultural nationalism.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, former Member of Parliament Prakash Ambedkar strongly condemned the recent attacks on Dalits by cow vigilantes and announced to hold a massive agitation in Delhi next month over the issue.
“If you pick dead cow, you are beaten up. If you are not carrying it even then you are beaten up. This is a kind of atrocity that has now been unleashed on the scheduled castes. Therefore, there are agitations going on across the nation,” said Ambedkar.
He informed the press that a new platform has been created to unite all Dalit agitations and organizations.
“We have been trying to get all of them together. At least one good point I must say is that in the recent agitations, all subdivisions among scheduled castes have come together and have made loud announcement that henceforth we are not going to divide ourselves into subdivisions, but we will stand as Dalits,” he said.
Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh
“We have now decided that all the agitations that are taking place across the country should be consolidated in Delhi and therefore this new front Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh has been formed. The main object of the manch is to consolidate all these originations and agitations and make Delhi as the centre and unite all these agitations into one force,” he said.
Dalits will confront RSS on cultural nationalism
Talking to pressmen at Press Club of India, Prakash Ambedkar announced that his new front will hold a sit-in in Delhi on 16 Sep.
“We have decided that on 16 Sep we will hold dharna cum conference on the Parliament Street in Delhi,” he said and added that the focus of the meeting will be consolidation of these agitations into a united force and confrontation with RSS on its agenda of cultural nationalism.
“RSS is propagating cultural nationalism. So we are going to place our socio-cultural issues on one hand and on the second, we will place the agenda for socialization of democracy and the social changes that should take place in the society,” said Ambedkar.
“We believe that RSS has same agenda (as it had before Independence) and they would like to carry on with it. Therefore, we would like to have an open dialogue with RSS on that issue. We are going to place our socio-cultural agenda along with the social changes that need to take place in the society and through that agenda we are going to confront RSS,” he said.
“Manuvad and democracy can’t go hand in hand”
Criticizing RSS, Prakash Ambedkar said, “You do not believe in equality. You do not believe in individual liberty but on the other hand you would like to cage human being into caste. Instead of ruling of individual liberty, they would like caste liberty ruling in the country. And therefore we felt that it is necessary and high time that all dalit organizations should come together.”
He said that he has not invited Dalit organizations and Dalit leaders who are with the present ruling class (BJP-led NDA government).
“Let me put it across. We do invite all Dalit organizations but at the same time we make a distinction that those Dalit organizations and leaders who are with the present ruling class, we do not associate them with this movement,” said Ambedkar.
“It will be a sort of cultural revolution which will be beginning on 16 Sep when we will project our agenda,” he added.
“When they say Manuvad, there is no democracy. Manuvad and democracy can’t go hand in hand. On 16th Sep, we will be directly confronting them on their cultural nationalism,” said Ambedkar.
