Enraged over not according a Rajghat-like status to the ‘Parinirvan Bhoomi’ of the Father of Indian Constitution in the national capital, the Ambedkar Parinirvan Bhumi Samman Karyakram Samiti on Saturday said over a lakh dalits would stage a rally against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in New Delhi on December 6.
“The Centre has only agreed to build a memorial in the shape of a stupa on the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Parinirvan Bhoomi. It had reneged on its other promises of according a Rajghat-like status to the Parinirvan Bhoomi and acquiring adjoining land for constructing a memorial,” the Samiti’s member and former union minister Satyanarain Jatia told reporters here.
Samiti’s president Indresh Gajbhiye said the Prime Minister had betrayed dalits by not fulfilling the three promises that he made to the Samiti’s senior leadership on October 4, 2011, prior to the proposed ‘rail roko’ agitation in Nagpur on October 7, 2011.
He said then National Democratic Alliance Government had purchased the ‘Parinirvan Bhoomi’ land and subsequently declared it a national memorial. It had made a provision of Rs 100 crore for its development. However, the UPA Government cut the electricity at the ‘Parinirvan Bhoomi’, locked the gates and did not start the development process.
National vice-president Mayatai Chavre of Ambedkar Parinirvan Bhumi Samman Karyakram Samiti said that accepting the demand of establishing replica of Sanchi stupa at Parinirvan Bhumi was the result of 10-year-long protest and would continue to protest till the other demands are not met.
National secretary of Ambedkar Parinirvan Bhumi Samman Karyakram Samiti informed that the committee was a social organisation which was above all political gimmicks and was solely working for the respect and honour of Parinirvan Bhumi.