Rahul versus Maya on Ambedkar Jayanti

Umesh Raghuvanshi, Hindustan Times

UP, April 14: Congress general-secretary Rahul Gandhi is set to flag off a rally in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday to mark his party’s 125th anniversary, locking horns with the state’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on its own turf.

 

The BSP is also scheduled to hold a rally in the city on the same day, the 119th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, who the BSP looks up to as an inspirational Dalit figure.

Rahul’s Chetna Yatra — a series of 10 rallies that will cover all 403 assembly constituencies of the state — will be flagged off in Ambedkar Nagar district, 200 km from Lucknow.

The district has a sizeable population of Dalits, the BSP’s main support base, and has been represented by Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati thrice in the Lok Sabha.

On Tuesday, the Congress moved an application before the district administration seeking permission to garland an imposing Ambedkar statue before flagging of the rallies.

“The local BSP unit has virtually taken custody of the Ambedkar statue. BSP flags can be seen all around the statue. We have not heard anything on the issue from the district administration,” Rita Bahuguna Joshi, president of the UPCC, told HT.

District authorities are yet to take a decision. “We received the application from the Congress at 2.30 pm today (Tuesday). We have sought a report from the police and a decision will be taken on the issue thereafter,” said district magistrate Kunwar Vikram Singh.

Congress leaders said the rallies had nothing to do with vote bank politics and alleged the BSP was conniving to derail their plans. “The district administration is acting at the behest of the BSP ministers who are camping in Ambedkar Nagar. We are getting calls from Congress workers in many districts about the denial or cancellation of bus permits,” said Joshi.

The BSP seemed concerned about the impact the rallies might have in its stronghold. It has organised demonstrations on Wednesday against the Congress-led central government.