We are ready to shed blood for Ambedkar memorial
Published: Sunday, Dec 25, 2011, 8:45 IST
By Alok Deshpande | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
While the observations made by the Bombay high courtfor the state
government's inaction against 'encroachers' at Indu Mills left the
government representatives speechless, on the other side, the
'encroachers' are in no mood to remain silent.
"You can use your force and remove activists from the mill compound.
But are you going to do the same for the busts of Gautam Buddha
andBabasaheb Ambedkar?" asked Ramesh Jadhav, Mumbai chief of
Republican Sena, while talking with DNA.
The question sounds simple, but could become a headache for the
authorities, considering the emotions attached to the name of
Ambedkar.
"We are the followers of Ambedkar, and are not only Dalits. When we
barged into the compound, people from all castes and religions joined
us. When we say we have captured the mill, it does not mean we will
live inside, but there will be an Ambedkar memorial made in it. If the
government wants to try to vacate it, they can. But they will have to
face the consequences," he said, adding that activists are ready to
shed their blood if force is being used by the authorities.
The 12.5 acres of land of Indu Mill has been under debate since its
capture by the Republican Sena activits on December 6. The Bombay high
court in its observations had even linked the December 6 incident to
the Babri Masjid demolition.
"The link made by the court is completely unnecessary and
unjustifiable. These people are not committing any crime and
increasing communal tension was never on the agenda. It is a
legitimate demand, which the government was not ready to fulfill,"
said Ramesh Shinde, a scholar in the Ambedkarite movement.
Maintaining respect for the judiciary of the country, Shinde pointed
out that our society is not ready to accept Ambedkar as a national
leader, and politicians want to use his memory for their political
motives. "None of the political parties have opposed the demand of
12.5 acres land. But the government is yet to make an official
announcement. Do they want to see blood on the streets, and then
accept this demand?" he asked.
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