With Dalit politics taking a centre stage, all major political parties of Uttar Pradesh are gearing up to celebrate the 127th Birth Anniversary of Dr Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar with elan and project themselves as the true saviour of Dalits.
All parties – Bharatiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj party, Samajwadi party or Congress, have issued directives to party leaders to organize functions at the district level.
The BJP has gone a step further and announced that seminars and ‘Shobha Yatras’ would be taken out at the block level where people would be told about policies of Dr Ambedkar.
This is probably the first time that political parties have shown such a zeal in celebrating Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. Hitherto, only the BSP used to organize functions in lucknow which was addressed by Mayawati. The celebrations at Congress and BJP offices were reduced to a token where pictures of Dr Ambedkar were garlanded by leaders.
The Samajwadi Party has never celebrated Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary with such gusto as it is doing this time. The changed political equation probably made the SP brass to go for the celebrations this year.
When the SP and BSP want to contest the next lok sabha election as allies, Akhilesh wants to keep Dalits in good humour and hence the changed strategy.
SP Spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said that leaders at district level would celebrate Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary in style. In some places, they have been asked to invite Dalit thinkers and ask them to speak on the life and ideology of Dr Ambedkar.
The BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha will take out Shobha Yatra across the state. State BJYM chief Subhash Yaduvansh said that workers would take out 5-10 km long yatras and honour 10 Dalit thinkers.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav have issued greetings a day before Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary while BSP has put up banners, hoardings and festoons from Kali Das Marg crossing to Samata Mulak Chauraha.
leaders of all prominent parties will garland the statue of Dr Ambedkar at Hazratganj while BSP leaders would organize meetings at Samata Mulak Chauraha.
Keeping in view of growing tension and reports of damage of Dr Ambedkar’s statues across the state, security has been intensified across the state and ensure safety of the statues.