Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Amid two parallel campaigns by the Marathas and Other Backward Classes on the issue, veteran politician and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder Prakash Ambedkar would launch ‘aarakshan bachao yatra’ from July 25-August 7, which would traverse across Maharashtra ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections.
While in Antarwali Sarathi in Ambad in Jalna, Maratha reservation campaigner is undertaking his sixth hunger strike demanding the implementation of reservation of Marathas as Kunbis, a sub-caste covered under OBC and the the formal notification of the ‘sage-soyare’, a Marathi term for ‘relatives from the family tree', which widens the scope of the quota. OBC resistance group headed by Prof Laxman Hate is touring the Marathwada region to ensure that the quota is not diluted.
Lawyer-politician Ambedkar, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Akola and one term Rajya Sabha MP, is the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution.
Ambedkar is widely respected by the Dalits and Adivasis— and his morcha is going to have a significant impact in the state politics.
The yatra, with a call of 'Jai Phule-Jai Shahu-Jai Bhim' aims to protect the reservation of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and OBCs.
Ambedkar will launch the march from Chaityabhoomi in Dadar in Mumbai and head for Phule Wada in Pune.
The first destination would be Kolhapur. The places have their own significance. In Chaityabhoomi, the last rites of Dr Ambedkar were performed.
Phule Wada is closely associated with the social reform movement of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule. Kolhapur has its own significance as is from here Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, a descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, undertook social reform movement and one of the earliest concepts of reservation. Shahu Maharaj was closely associated with Dr Ambedkar.
Among other things, Ambedkar is demanding the cancellation of 55 lakh Kunbi certificates which he described as fake.
He also raised the issue of implementation of promotional reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs.