Narendra Modi to hold rallies on B.R. Ambedkar, rural issues
BJP members say the party will use B.R. Ambedkar's birth anniversary celebrations to talk about its decision to implement Ambedkar's thinking in India
New Delhi: Stepping up the government’s attempts to woo Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address two rallies this month on B.R. Ambedkar and highlight issues related to villages and farmers.
This comes after the Union budget’s strong focus on addressing the issue of rural and agrarian distress. The move assumes significance ahead of the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is focusing on the financially weak, Scheduled Castes and farmers to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar.
“The BJP has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar by organizing public meetings in Mhow (Madhya Pradesh) which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April," said a senior BJP leader, on condition of anonymity. Modi will address another public meeting in Jharkhand on 24 April, where he is expected to talk about financially weaker sections as well as issues around the panchayati raj.
BJP members said it will use the celebrations to talk about the party’s decision to implement Ambedkar’s thinking in India. The focus of the drive will be on social harmony, with discussions on issues related to villages and farmers.
Senior leaders of the party said that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had decided to develop five places associated with Ambedkar as pilgrim centres, or “panchtirth": his birthplace in Mhow; his homes in Delhi and London; Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where he converted to Buddhism; and Chaitya Bhoomi a memorial to Ambedkar in Mumbai where his last rites were performed, added the leader cited earlier.
Interestingly, during the 11-day celebration of Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, the BJP intends to use the opportunity to tell people about pro-farmer measures announced in the Union budget, including the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana crop insurance scheme.
The party has decided to launch an awareness campaign on the government’s decision to allocate ₹ 80 lakh to each panchayat in the country for developing villages.
In the Union budget this year, ₹ 2.87 trillion was given as grant-in-aid for village panchayats and municipalities for the next five years—a jump of 228% over the amount allotted over the previous five-year period.
The opposition Congress party, on the other hand, concluded its year-long celebration of Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary on Monday in Nagpur. Senior leaders of the party said they did not want the event to coincide with the events of the Union government.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi government is not missing out on the opportunity to reach out to Dalit voters, especially with the upcoming elections in Punjab. The AAP is planning to organize a celebration of Ambedkar’s policies and to showcase his work on 14 April in the national capital. During the event, AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will address the audience along with other state cabinet ministers.
Last year, the Delhi government had also organized a special function to celebrate the first Constitution Day and to showcase Ambedkar’s work.
This move also comes at a time when the AAP is preparing to contest elections in the state of Punjab next year. Last month, it held a rally in Punjab to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dalit leader Kanshi Ram. Dalits constitute 32% of the state’s population, as per Census 2011.
Analysts say that political parties are using this as an opportunity to woo Scheduled Caste voters. “Ahead of assembly elections, all political parties will have to make such attempts to woo Dalit voters. This is political opportunism by parties. No party wants to stay behind, but it is more of a symbolic gesture," said Ramesh Dixit, former professor of political science at Lucknow University.
“Parties feel that the Scheduled Caste votes will follow with Ambedkar’s name. What remains to be seen is the effect of such an outreach programme," he added.
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