Mumbai: The revival of Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti was the talking point when thousands gathered at Chaityabhoomi on Tuesday to pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar on his death anniversary.
This comes in the wake of a discussion held between Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Monday.
With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election round the corner, this change in political landscape and Uddhav’s proposed alliance with the VBA is being perceived as a step in the right direction by many Ambedkarites.
Ramesh Tadke, 59, a government employee, said that the entire Bhim Sena is not one, just like how the Shiv Sena was disbanded recently. There is a faction of Dalits led by Ramdas Athawale, now a union minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, he added.
Prashant Kamble, 48, a government employee from Bhiwandi, said that unless they come to power their community will not progress further. “Uddhavsaheb’s Sena believes in Prabodhankar Thackeray’s philosophy, who fought against untouchability,” he added.
SC, ST, OBC and minorities should come together for a common cause and the Thackeray-Ambedkar alliance will yield fruit, if it materialises, Rajendra Gaikwad, 48, of Bhiwandi, added.
Pradeep Kamble, 64, a resident of Navi Mumbai and a retired employee of Mumbai Port Trust, said that if Bhim Shakti and Shiv Shakti join hands it will be a tour de force. “The Shiv Sena of today is acknowledging Babasaheb’s contributions unlike in the past” he added.
Suchitra Hire, 38, who had come all the way from Nasik, organised a blood donation camp at Shivaji Park. “We feel the Uddhav-Ambedkar alliance will give a new direction and make Dalit politics mainstream. Everyone wants to appropriate our Babasaheb and this sangam will bring our community to the forefront,” Hire opined.
On the other hand, considering the troubled past the Shiv Sena has had with the Dalit rights’ group, a few are not hopeful about the alliance.
Rajesh Sonawane, national spokesperson of Dalit Panther and Maharashtra president of Bhartiya Kamgar Sanghatana recalled the history of Dalit Panthers, which was formed in 1972 by Namdeo Dhasal, a renowned writer and poet, who had aimed at destroying caste hierarchy.
The slogan of Bhim Shakti- Shiv Shakti took birth in Jalgaon district in October 17, 1997, where Sonawane was the organiser.
“We organised several programmes with Shiv Sena pramukh Balasaheb Thackeray, where Dhasal launched a social movement to bridge the gap between Dalits and savarnas. But in 1995-99, when Shiv Sena and BJP were in alliance, there was no representation to a ministerial or MLC post from Dalit Panther. Sena had cheated Dhasal and us in the name of Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti.”
“Ambedkar wants Uddhav’s Sena to break alliance with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and this will never happen. It is just a political strategy. This alliance will never see the light of day. History also indicates that OBC and open category people will not vote for Dalit candidates if they are pitched during elections.”
Citing his own example, Sonawane said that he had contested elections on an open category ticket, but never got elected despite working hard on the ground in villages.
“Our fight is purely against casteism, and we are not concerned which Dalit party joins hands with whom? They just want a blue flag to show that they are with our community,” he added.
“Dalits always respected Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but the Sena in the past had not shown respect to Babasaheb. It was Dhasal, who had tried to bridge the gap by bringing them together,” Padwal added.
Most of the Ambedkarites were in unison on reservations to Marathas. Tadke said, “Anyone who is financially, socially and politically deprived deserves reservation and if Marathas are demanding it, they should get it.”