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Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkarhas recently announced his plans to organise a demonstration on June 17 after Friday prayers to protest the derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammed made by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

Prakash Ambedkar, who is the grandson of freedom fighter and architect of the Constitution, Dr. BR Ambedkar, is a prominent Dalit rights activist and claims that his protest is aimed at seeking justice for ending the “politics of hate” with “brotherhood”. He has appealed to Mumbaikars to join his Aman Rally that will begin at 2 PM at the VBA office in Jhula Maidan in Madanpura and conclude at Azad Maidan.

नफरत की सियासत को अमन और भाईचारे से ही मिटाया जासकता है.!

आओ साथ जुडकर जम्हुरी फर्ज निभाते है,
मुल्क और संविधान को, मजबूत बनाते है

मुंबईवासीओं से अपील है के अमन रॅली को पुरअमन तरीके से कामयाब करें.!!!@Prksh_Ambedkar pic.twitter.com/tPQg2XPyj7

— Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (@VBAforIndia) June 16, 2022

However, given how various Muslim socio-cultural organisations are advising against the rally, in the interest of maintaining law and order, Ambedkar’s insistence on pushing through with the rally is rather curious.

Muslim organisations oppose rally

Meanwhile, several Muslim social organisations are opposed to this rally. In fact, the Raza Academy has written an open letter to Ambedkar, urging him to reconsider his decision in wake of the prevailing law and order situation in the country. Readers would recall that anti-Nupur Sharma protests have been taking place in different parts of the country and have turned violent in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Therefore, the Raza Academy fears that the protest could be highjacked by miscreants who could spark violence. “Dear friend, we hereby very earnestly appeal to your gracious self that the venture which you are undertaking with undoubted sincerity and zeal is very likely to be distorted and deformed by miscreants, and thus transformed into a grotesque and harmful event that would in turn damage our noble mission instead of promoting it,” said Raza Academy. The letter signed by Alhaaj Mohammed Saeed Noori (Founder and President, Raza Academy) and Sayed Moinuddin Ashraf (a.ka Moin Miya, a patron), further said, “Due to this apprehension which is influenced by previous unpleasant and painful experiences, we petition you to please call off the protest that you have planned and pray that you join the desired mission with a more infallible and dependable mode of activity.”

The letter may be read here:

Farid Sheikh, who heads the Mumbai Aman Committee, dismissed Ambedkar’s protest plans as a political stunt. “Woh siyasat kar rahe hain (he is engaging in politics). It is unnecessary, his party is struggling for political relevance. Unki niyat mein khot hai (His intentions are suspect),” he said adding, “We have held a series of meetings with shopkeepers, merchants, traders and other sections of the Muslim community in Mumbai and nobody is in favour of such a protest.” He further said, “We advise community members not to participate in this protest, as it is quite possible some miscreants will trigger violence and then the whole community will have to suffer.”

Similarly, the Ulema of the Sunni Bilal Masjid has also appealed for peace and requested people not to engage in protests. “Nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands,” said the Ulema adding, “You are welcome to pursue a legal course. If not today, then tomorrow, that lady (Nupur Sharma) will land up behind bars.” The Ulema had called for an urgent meeting of all senior clerics as soon as he got work of Ambedkar’s protest plans. He also had a discussion with local police. Addressing a press conference where these policemen as well as senior clerics were present, the Ulema further said, “Such violence is against Islam and against humanity. Don’t engage in such acts that bring shame to the community. We have held detailed discussions with lawyers and knowledgeable members of the community and decided that it is better to pursue legal action, instead of coming out on the streets and allowing emotions to turn into violence.”

Mumbai Police on high alert

Ever since the protests of June 10, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil has instructed senior police officials to take appropriate precautions and keep the situation under control.The Home Minister has also appealed to all to maintain peace and take care that law and order situation does not arise anywhere in the state.

The Maharashtra administration is on high alert. Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey told SabrangIndia that he had requested the Dalit leader “to call of the protest”. He warned, “If he failed to call it off, he would face strict action.” Pandey further said that while he respected Ambedkar’s commitment to rights of minorities, such a protest “was not conducive to maintaining peace and harmony in the city.”

Previous instances of peaceful protests suddenly turning violent

The apprehensions about an outbreak of violence are not unfounded given what transpired in Kanpur, Allahabad, Ranchi and Howrah. In fact, in many cases, it is alleged that the violence was sparked by vested interests who used miscreants to infiltrate peaceful protests and then start pelting stones. Similar tactics were also allegedly used in violence that transpired during the Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti processions in Himmatnagar, Anand and Vadodara in Gujarat, Jahangirpuri in Delhi, and Khargone in Madhya Pradesh.

Therefore, the question remains – what does Prakash Ambedkar hope to accomplish by organising this protest on June 17? We tried speaking to Ambedkar, but he remained unreachable. This story will be updated with his quote later.

Related:

SC to hear urgent petitions against UP demolitions today
Bulldozer Injustice: Homes of alleged June 10 protesters to be demolished in UP?

The post What does Prakash Ambedkar hope to achieve by organising anti-Nupur Sharma protests? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi appeals to the Election Commission of India for an enquiry into the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering case and if need be for a re-conduct the Lok Sabha election 2019. 

The post Probe EVM Tampering: VBA to Election Commission appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution, and the VBA is the political baby of his Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and the Owaisi brothers’ All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

This formidable Dalit-Muslim brotherhood, virtually untested in state politics, though tried out marginally in Uttar Pradesh between the Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP), poses an unprecedented challenge in Maharashtra this time.

Turning the screws on both the opposing alliances by targeting their support among Dalits and Muslims, the unprecedented VBA experiment could probably change the attitude of the major mainstream parties vis-a-vis the two sections.

Until now, the major Dalit and Muslim groups/parties had to be content to be in alliance with the other major groupings, but not anymore as the VBA offers a clear-cut option to both sections, inclusive of others like tribals, Dhangars, Kolis and several fringe or deprived sections.

The huge turnout in Solapur and Akola has started giving nightmares to the BJP-Sena and Congress-NCP on what it could spell in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) vote-catch.

The show of strength comes barely a month after Ambedkar and Owaisi addressed a mammoth public rally in Mumbai and earlier in Aurangabad, which had sent alarm bells clanging in political circles.

Ambedkar, 64, a three-time parliamentarian, including one term in the Rajya Sabha, has also decided to field VBA candidates in 47 Lok Sabha constituencies, leaving Aurangabad for the AIMIM, which has nominated its high-profile legislator Imtiyaz Jaleel, a TV journalist-turned politician.

In Solapur, Ambedkar will lock horns with Congress strongman Sushilkumar Shinde, a former Union Home Minister and state Chief Minister, while the BJP has nominated well-known spiritual leader Jaysiddheshwar Shivacharya Swami.

In Akola, won by Ambedkar twice in 1998 and 1999, the challenge will be against three-time BJP MP Sanjay S. Dhotre and Congress’ Hidayatullah B. Patel, who finished second in the 2009 and 2014 general elections.

Interestingly, earlier this week, Shinde – who has won from Solapur thrice in 1998, 1999 and 2009 – created a political stir by claiming he and his legislator daughter Praniti were lured by the BJP. The BJP retorted that Shinde was making such claims as he sensed defeat in Solapur.

Though the Congress-NCP has dismissed the VBA as the BJP’s “Team B”, Ambedkar hit back, saying his main fight is with the BJP-Sena combine as the Congress-NCP is a weakened force in the state.

His grouse stems from the fact that the Congress-NCP unceremoniously spurned his offer for a Grand Alliance which included the VBA. The Congress-NCP found his demand for contesting nearly half the 48 seats in Maharashtra too pricey.

In the minority-dominated Aurangabad constituency, Jaleel will challenge the might of Shiv Sena stalwart Chandrakant Khaire and Congress’ Subhash Zhambad, amidst speculation that the party may drop Zhambad and opt for rebel MLA Abdul Sattar A. Nabi.

With the BSP-SP alliance also fielding Dalit and Muslim candidates in Maharashtra, political pundits forecast a tough time for the BJP-Sena and Congress-NCP alliances in the Lok Sabha polls.

However, the BSP elephant has barely impressed Maharashtra voters in the past few Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, though the SP has cycled its way through in Mumbai and surroundings with a legislator and some municipal corporators.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
 

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The BHARIP president addressed the protesting students of TISS along with Rekha Thakur, General Secretary Of BHARIP and said that education is a constitutional right to be guaranteed by the state. But the current and previous governments are acting like it is a family responsibility. Further, he said the fight for educational rights have been going on for long and it is appreciable that TISS students have been fighting not only for their rights but for the future generations also. The issue of scholarship, said Adv. Ambedkar, is such that in colleges in small towns, students have not been paid scholarship and had to discontinue their education. He also added that the fight is against the management and also against the state.

In a Government resolution released 10 days ago, the Maharashtra government said that the state will only fund 30% of OBC scholarship. It was declared that BHARIP will submit petitions to the District Social Justice department regarding the issue and will see that the issue of scholarship is raised in the current session of Vidhan Sabha. Rekha Thakur, General Secretary of BHARIP also spoke in support of the students strike.The students also handed over a memorandum to Adv.Prakash Ambedkar regarding their demands.

Fahad Ahmed, the General Secretary of TISS Students Union said that the students are trying to have a dialogue with the administration, but if the demands are not met then they might be forced to go on a hunger strike to claim their rights. The current fight is for guaranteeing the rights of affirmative action initiated by Babasaheb Ambedkar, he added.

According to a recent update, TISS administration has appointed a Empowerment Committee to address the issue of the students. The committee consists of various senior faculty members as well as SPO Dean Vijay Raghavan. This committee was appointed after repeatedly failed negotiations with the the Acting Director Shalini Bharat. After the formation of this committee, the students have consistently raised questions regarding the “power” that this committee holds. The students have stated that they do not wish to dialogue with the Empowerment Committee and would like to dialogue with the governing body of TISS to address the issue.

So far the demands which have been met are partial in nature, and their is no mechanism the institute has worked on for the upcoming batches. None of the issues put forth by the OBC GoI PMS scholars and upcoming batches have been concretely addressed till date.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

The post Education a constitutional right, says Adv Prakash Ambedkar; calls for rally to Vidhan Sabha in support of TISS Students appeared first on SabrangIndia.

He claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhide had good relations.

“Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured on the arrest since an FIR had been registered. But when we inquired, we learnt the message had come from the Prime Minister’s Office not to arrest Bhide or take action against him,” Ambedkar told the media here.

“Modi had worn saffron turban during his first speech from the Red Fort on Bhide’s advice. Modi praised him in an event. This is the relation.”

He warned that in case there is no response from the government, his organisation will take the issue across the country.

The Dalit leader said Bhide had not even filed any application for interim bail since he was quite sure that the PMO was protecting him.

Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of the Indian Constitution’s chief architect Dr B.R. Ambedkar, demanded that Bhide and another pro-Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote be arrested immediately for the Bhima-Koregaon violence.

“Unscrutinised and loose” organisations in the Hindu fold had become a threat to society and the nation, said Prakash Ambedkar, chief of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh.

He said such organisations had become a parallel to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its existence was virtually in danger. “They are basically challenging the existence of the RSS,” he said.

“These unscrutinised organisations are dictating terms and so the government is hesitant to take action against them,” Ambedkar said.

“They are declaring themselves above the law. That is what (Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder) Hafiz Saeed is doing in Pakistan: He has positioned himself in such a way that the Pakistan government cannot touch him even when international forces are asking for action. We will not like to have another Hafiz Saeed in India,” he said.

“The RSS had stated that relations with Bhide were severed seven years ago and with Ekbote some eight years ago,” he said.

Clashes broke out on January 1 in Bhima-Koregaon and surrounding areas in Maharashtra during celebrations of the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon, after some people carrying saffron flags pelted cars going towards the village with stones.

The violence spread to Mumbai and other parts of the state on January 2 and January 3, with protesters calling for a bandh across Maharashtra.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

The post PMO protecting Bhima-Koregaon violence accused: Prakash Ambedkar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Prakash Ambedkar has pointed out a threatening Facebook post against Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis and minister, Girish Bapat allegedly by a close associate of Manohar (Shambhaji) Bhide, Raosaheb Patil against which the Maharashtra government and administration have simply failed to act.

Addressing a packed press conference at his office in South Mumbai yesterday, Ambedkar called Milind Ekbote and Shambhaji Bhide homegrown terrorists. Claiming to have proof that Raosaheb Patil, is a close aide of Shambhaji Bhide, Ambedkar quotes the January 1 post (screen shot) that has been  subsequently deleted. “If the numbers (of those killed at Bhima Koregaon) do not add up, then Girish Bapat and CM Devendra Phadnavis should be also cut up. I don’t have problems.”

This sinister and violent FB post was made at 10.12. a.m on January 1, 2018. Prakash Ambedkar said that while the Dalit leadership took constructive steps to ensure containment of the anger and damage, Hindutvawaadi organisations like this were out to create anarchy and mayhem –unfettered and unscrutinised– that day. Ambedkar has been calling for the arrests of Ekbote and Bhide from the first day of the Bhima Koregaom violence. He has also been making a distinction between the RSS, which he terms as ‘scrutinised’ Hindutvawaadi organisation and those like the Sanatan Sanstha which are both unfettered and unscrutinised.

The response of the police has been as bad as the contents of this post, said Ambedkar. “The CP, Pune, Additional CP, Pune, SP, Pune Rural, Additional SP, Pune and IB officials simply did not communicate the warnings that this kind of venomous and dangerous message meant, to the chief minister. Why?” he asked. “We demand that all these officers are transferred to the Mantralaya for decorative posts since they have let the force down and failed in their duty,” he said.

Ambedkar further demanded, “Why is CM not acting against men who are threatening his life? Never before has a post like this ever dared to be put out on social media. We demand action against Ekbote and Bhide. They are the future Hafeez Sayeed’s of Hindutva, home grown terrorists.”

“Who is their ‘Guru’,” he asked. “Shambhaji Bhide. Hence action against them both is a must,” he asserted.

Referring to the Lokmat newspaper of March 5, 2010 filed by the Margao representative that reported on Pune-based Sahran Kulkarni of Sanatan Sanstha’s involvement in both the Margao Diwali blasts and the blasts that had taken place at German bakery on February 13 as part of a common thread and conspiracy, he alleged that the Pune’s German bakery investigation is incomplete and inconclusive. The lower court afforded death sentence, the appeal was heard in the High court and went unreported. Ujwal Nikam was the special public prosecutor, the Court commuted the death penalty but the accused was given ten years for the RDX seized in his house. These are matters of great concern and need thorough and intrepid investigation.

Last week, Ambedkar had named Sambhaji Bhide of Shiv Pratisthan and Milind Ekbote of Samast Hindu Aghadi as persons behind the riots and the police had also booked them. The FIR was registered at Pimpri police station against Bhide, Ekbote and their supporters, and was later sent to Pune Rural Police, which has Bhima Koregaon under its jurisdiction. The complaint was filed by social worker Anita Ravindra Salve (39), a member of the Bahujan Republican Socialist Party. Both have been booked under IPC sections for attempt to murder and rioting, and relevant sections of the Prevention of Atrocities Act following the clashes in Bhima Koregaon.

Alleging targeting of Dalits, he said, “We have been told around 3,000 persons have been either detained or arrested. The police action is wrong.” DCP Cyber Crime Akbar Pathan said they had not received any complaint about allegedly threatening post that Ambedkar had pointed out.

The post Home Grown Terrorists Threatening CM Phadnavis & Minister’s Lives: Prakash Ambedkar appeared first on SabrangIndia.

However, Macwan regretted, “Even 70 years after independence and 85 years after the Poona Pact, untouchability has remained intact, and successive governments of India have failed to abolish it despite the existence of stringent laws. Hence the demand to revert back to the demand put forward by Ambedkar to provide separate electorate for Dalits.”
 

Prakash Ambedkar

The result, he opined, is that the people who are thus elected work not for Dalits, but for people who elected them, i.e. people opposed to the freedom and development of the Dalits,adding, this is a major reason why the fight against untouchability on the part of the elected Dalit representatives fails to acquire strength.

The post Balanced & Proportional: Dalits Alone Should Elect Dalit Candidates, Demand for Gujarat Polls appeared first on SabrangIndia.

उन्होंने कहा, ” मैं संघ से सवाल पूछना चाहता हूं जो आज सरकार में है। आपके दुश्मन कौन हैं? विजयदशमी पर वो हथियारों की नुमाइश लगाकर उनकी पूजा करते हैं। ऐसी पूजा राजाओं के द्वारा करने का मतलब समझ में आता था। उन्हें अपने राज्य की रक्षा करनी होती थी। पर आज हम स्वतंत्र हैं। तो इस तरह की मनोवृत्ति की क्या जरूरत है। हमें शांति, विकास और भाईचारा चाहिए।” प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने गुजरात के राजकोट शहर में राष्ट्रीय दलित अधिकारों के लिए बुलाई एक सभा में ये बाते कहीं।
 
इसके बाद प्रकाश ने कहा कि भगवा संगठन समाज में मनुवाद को प्रोजेक्ट कर रहा है। जिसमें दलित ऊँची जाति के लोगों के दास रहेंगे। उन्होंने कहा ,” हम संघ से पूछना चाहते हैं आप इन हथियारों का इस्तेमाल किनके खिलाफ करना चाहते हैं। पाकिस्तान से लोग यहां आकर बम फोड़ कर वापस चले जाते हैं लेकिन क्या कभी किसी ने सुना कि संघ या विश्व हिंदू परिषद या बजरंग दल का कोई सैनिक पाकिस्तान गया हो और उसने वहां बम फोड़ा हो। अगर कोई वहां जाता और वहां बम फोड़कर वापस आता तब मैं समझ सकता था कि हाथियारों की पूजा पाकिस्तान के लिए है लेकिन सच्चाई ये है कि वो पाकिस्तान से डरते हैं।”
 
प्रकाश अंबेडकर ने कहा कि दलितों को मंदिर जाना बंद कर देना चाहिए क्योंकि मंदिर के पैसों का इस्तेमाल संघ के कार्यक्रम में होता है। उन्होंने कहा, “देश के छोटे मंदिर भी 40,000 करोड़ रुपए सालाना इकट्ठा करते हैं और इस पैसे का इस्तेमाल संघ को चलाने और हथियार इक्ट्ठे करने में होता है। अगर दलित मंदिर जाना और धार्मिक संगठनों को दान देना बंद कर दे तो संघ की आधी शाखा बंद हो जाएंगी।

इनपुट- किशोर कुमार पन्थ, आगरा

Courtesy: National Dastak

The post दलित मंदिर में दान देना बंद कर दें तो संघ की आधी शाखा बंद हो जाएंगी- प्रकाश अंबेडकर appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Una Atrocity and increasing attacks on Dalits in Gujarat found a huge echo of solidarity and support in Mumbai on Friday, August 12.

The 'Atmsamman rally' organised by Dalit Groups showing a rare unity between the Meghwal community and others witnessed a huge turnout of Dalits under the leadershop og Prkash Ambedkar and some scarce Muslim groups from Maharashtra and Gujarat at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Friday. The rally was organised to protest the Una incident of Gujarat and other cases of Dalit atrocities in India. The leaders among them called for unity of all Dalits, Muslims and tribals of India to take on the central government. Senior leader of the Republican Party of India (RPI)Prakash Ambedkar urged all downtrodden groups to unite to fight against those who are trying to suppress their voice and denying them their rights. The rally was attended by several trade unions too. 

Activist Teesta Setalwad said, "Dalits are being attacked across India in the name of cow vigilantism. Instead of taking action against such anti-social and criminal elements, Modi government is just doing lip service and coining jumlas." She added that this rally was to oppose the growing 'cow Talibanism' in India. "Dalits are at the bottom of our socioeconomic structure. Muslims are just above them. Hence, both are being attacked by upper caste people at the behest of the RSS," she added.

The leaders also said that Dalits were skinning cows and clearing the garbage, for which the society must be thankful to them. However, Dalits are being attacked and killed over false cases.
Some speakers also ridiculed prime minister Narendra Modi's statement "Don't shoot Dalits, shoot me" and termed it as jumla. "If he is serious, he must take action against the culprits," said activists from Gujarat.

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