http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/04/14/the-war-of-the-garlands/
April 14, 2010, 9:02 AM IST The War of the Garlands By Tripti Lahiri The next elections are far away, but on the birthday of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the country’s political parties will be fighting for his legacy in a place named — what else? — Ambedkar Nagar. AFP/Getty Images Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Kumari attends a prayer in front of an Ambedkar statue. Some battles are fought with bullets. This one, we’re pretty sure, will be fought with garlands. Mr. Ambedkar, a graduate of Columbia University who is the father of India’ constitution, was also a member of the ostracized group at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy once known as “untouchables” but called “Dalits,” which shaped his thinking on rights and justice and made him an icon for the community. “The best gift which he has given to the country is the respect for the individual,” said Vijay Bahadur Singh, a minister of parliament from the Dalit-supported Bahujan Samaj Party that rules Uttar Pradesh, where Ambedkar Nagar is located. Mr. Singh said his party, headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Kumari, will mark the day with speeches at local headquarters about Mr. Ambedkar’s ideals as well as protests against legislation drafted by the governing Congress Party to reserve a third of parliamentary seats for women, which Mr. Singh called “anti-development.” European Pressphoto Agency Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference during a January state visit to Bhopal, India. On the same day and at the same place, Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Gandhi political dynasty and minister of parliament from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, will be there to flag off Congress’s celebrations, party members confirmed. Newspapers have reported that Mr. Gandhi will send traveling parties to different parts of India’s biggest state to talk about the party’s history. “Rahul Gandhi is attempting to take the battle into the BSP camp. They are hoping to storm the citadel,” said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan, who frequently writes on Uttar Pradesh politics. “Whether they will succeed is a different matter altogether.” Mr. Gandhi has been credited with helping his party dramatically improve its showing in the state in the 2009 national elections, and his visits to Dalit households for cups of tea and slumber parties have been widely covered by the press. The Bahujan Samaj Party is unhappy about the scheduling. “If they are so enamored with Dr. Ambedkar they would have made a program not clashing with our program,” said Mr. Singh. “He’s going to garland the statue of Ambedkarji on the 14th, and we are having a meeting in the same place. Same place, same statue. There is bound to be a law and order problem.” Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is organizing Wednesday’s celebrations, could not be reached for comment. Mr. Rangarajan said that a serious political struggle was going on between the two parties over how best “to get to a just society.” “I think it’s a fight for a legacy and it’s a fight for the future — centrist liberalism versus a formation that that sees itself as socially radical,” said Mr. Rangarajan. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to zestmedia-dig...@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to zestcaste-subscr...@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: zestcaste-dig...@yahoogroups.com zestcaste-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: zestcaste-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/