Dalit minister’s resignation-Kejriwal’s love for Ambedkar, AAP not worried about Dalit vote?

Manish Sisodia surrounded by CBI investigation, jailed Satyendar Jain’s resignation was not taken – but Rajendra Gautam was left alone

Vaibhav Kumar

Arvind Kejriwal, who talked about Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, is talking about Jai Shri Ram and Hindu gods and goddesses in Gujarat elections. On the other hand, the Dalit minister of Kejriwal government Rajendra Pal Gautam had to submit his resignation on the controversy related to 22 pledges of Babasaheb in Delhi. The question is, why the Aam Aadmi Party chief, who is challenging the BJP on his own pitch, is not worried about the Dalit vote?

Arvind Kejriwal, who talked about Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, is talking about Jai Shri Ram and Hindu gods and goddesses in Gujarat elections. On the other hand, the Dalit minister of Kejriwal government Rajendra Pal Gautam had to submit his resignation on the controversy related to 22 pledges of Babasaheb in Delhi. The question is, why the Aam Aadmi Party chief, who is challenging the BJP on his own pitch, is not worried about the Dalit vote?

Why was there a dispute over the 22 vows?

Dhammadiksha program was organized on 5 October 2022 at the historic Ambedkar Bhawan located on Rani Jhansi Road in Delhi. The program was jointly organized by Mission Jai Bhim and Raj Ratna Ambedkar’s organization The Buddhist Society of India. Rajratna Ambedkar is the great-grandson of Babasaheb, while former Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam is the patron of Mission Jai Bhim.

A large crowd gathered in the program and the organizers got about 10,000 people leaving Hinduism and joining the Dhamma of Tathagata Buddha by getting the Dhammadiksha. Satellite TV media did not cover the event at all, only alternate media working on digital platforms and media working on Bahujan topics covered it extensively.

Many videos of Dhammadiksha were available on YouTube Facebook but a video of 22 vows of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar became very viral. That video reached BJP leaders and Manoj Tiwari, Naveen Jindal to Tejendra Pal Bagga tweeted the first 3 vows of that video and objected that Hindu religion has been insulted by Arvind Kejriwal’s minister. In the first three vows, there has been a call not to believe in Hindu deities and not to obey them.

Aam Aadmi Party on the back foot?

After the video went viral and was caught by the TV media, the Aam Aadmi Party was put in the dock. The program was completely non-political and had nothing to do with the Aam Aadmi Party, but on the basis of the presence of Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Social Welfare Minister of the Delhi government, the TV media accused the Aam Aadmi Party of being anti-Hindu. Various BJP leaders and spokespersons surrounded the Aam Aadmi Party badly in social media and TV debates. The whole matter has become very delicate for the Aam Aadmi Party because the Gujarat Assembly elections are on its head.

The debate on this issue continued on TV from morning till evening and it became difficult to defend the Aam Aadmi Party spokespersons. There was a discussion within the party that the root of all the turmoil was the Dhammadiksha ceremony organized by Rajendra Pal Gautam in which these 22 pledges were administered. Although the Aam Aadmi Party was completely silent on 22 pledges or Dhammadiksha or the presence of Rajendra Pal Gautam, it was already visible that the blame for this whole event was about to fall on Rajendra Pal Gautam.

The BJP and its allies went a step further by declaring these 22 pledges as anti-Hindu and put up huge hoardings of their initial three-four pledges in Gujarati language in Gujarat and also attached a picture of Kejriwal wearing a netted cap. Now it had become a purely political matter, at the center of which Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam had come.

In any case, the Aam Aadmi Party did not want to see itself as anti-Hindu in Gujarat. Dalits constitute less than 10% of the population in Gujarat and there the Bahujan consciousness and Ambedkarism are not so deep that if the Aam Aadmi Party supports Hindutva on this issue in Ambedkarism vs Hindutva, then Dalit votes will suffer a lot. Whereas the entire exercise of the Aam Aadmi Party is to grab its core vote from the BJP by playing it on its pitch itself.

Are the 22 pledges given by Babasaheb anti-Hindu?

On 14 October 1956, Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar, along with about 6 lakh followers, renounced Hinduism and adopted the religion of Tathagata Buddha. Those present along with Panchsheel and Trisharan had also taken these twenty-two vows given by Baba Saheb. Since that day till today, whenever the program of Dhammadiksha is organized in India, especially on these special days, the Hindu Dalit society, which is suffering from caste oppression, tyranny, takes initiation of Buddha Dhamma, then 22 vows of Baba Saheb are taken. is also provided.

In these 22 vows there is no derogatory word or word of disrespect towards Hinduism or Hindu Gods and Goddesses. It has been clearly said that I will not believe in Hindu gods and goddesses and will not follow the idea of ??Hinduism and will not follow their customs, will not perform Pind Daan Shradh etc.

However, TV media has termed these 22 pledges as anti-Hindu. Whereas these 22 pledges have been compiled by former Union Minister and senior leaders of BJP and published by various ministries and institutions of the Government of India. Even today, 22 pledges of Baba Saheb are available in English and Hindi in the compilation of Writings and Speeches of Dr. Ambedkar on the website of Ministry of External Affairs. Apart from this, the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, an institution of the Government of India, also publishes it in English and Hindi and makes the entire collection available at very low prices.

Even before this, twenty-two pledges have been given in many big events in Dhammadiksha programs. Big ministers of BJP have also been present in many such programs where these 22 pledges were administered. No large-scale legal challenge has been given to these 22 pledges till date.

But the surprising thing was that the BJP government, which developed the Panchteerth of Baba Saheb, and many leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed their respect for Baba Saheb, were behind in insulting Baba Saheb because of 22 pledges of Baba Saheb. Arvind Kejriwal, who did not move and put Baba Saheb’s picture in every office, also did not appear to comment or defend these 22 pledges.

Some Bahujan lawyers are of the view that if FIR is registered against Rajendra Pal Gautam after the complaint received in this case, then the matter should go to the Supreme Court where the situation can be clarified legally after a thorough deliberation on the issue. Could.

Dalit minister’s resignation and Arvind Kejriwal’s love for Ambedkar

The entire Aam Aadmi Party was troubled by this whole controversy and the situation seemed to be deteriorating in the Gujarat elections. For face saving and compensation, Arvind Kejriwal said during his Vadodara roadshow that I was born on the day of Janmashtami and people who talk like this are children of Kansa. He even termed the people who insulted Hindu gods and goddesses as Asuras.

In fact, Arvind Kejriwal wanted to do damage control, for which he applied his heels. In all these political attacks, Arvind Kejriwal’s target was the BJP, which had hoarding 22 vows of Baba Saheb in Gujarat, but in this whole exercise, questions were raised on the love of Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party.

None of the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, which chanted Baba Saheb’s name day and night, gave any explanation regarding the 22 vows of Baba Saheb. Although it was visible to the analysts that Aam Aadmi Party chief Rajendra Pal was angry with Gautam, but the Ambedkarite Dalit society was unaware that he would accept his resignation. Then suddenly Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam tweeted his resignation and wrote that I have become free from bondage. After this whole incident, there was a lot of anger in the Ambedkarite Dalit society.

There were many reasons for displeasure and anger with Kejriwal. Firstly, Rajendra Pal Gautam was left alone on this issue and he was seen giving an explanation alone. Saffron flags were waved and threatening videos were released outside the official residence of former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam.

The former Social Welfare Minister also said in his interview that he continued to receive threats. Arvind Kejriwal, who called Manish Sisodia a staunch patriot and fanatical honest, even advocating Bharat Ratna, did not appear to stand with his Dalit minister. The CBI inquiry is going on in serious allegations against Manish Sisodia, while Satyendra Jain is in jail, despite this his resignation was not accepted. Active spokespersons like Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha and Atishi Marlena also sat silent on this issue.

The indication was clear that the party high command did not like this entire event of Rajendra Pal Gautam and the subsequent controversy and the party has distanced itself from Rajendra Pal Gautam. The comments of Ambedkarites on social media became bitter towards Kejriwal. A large section of Dalits and Muslims have a soft corner for the Aam Aadmi Party because they talk of defeating the BJP and becoming a secular party.

But in the matters of Dalits and Muslims, the Aam Aadmi Party has failed the litmus test many times. The Aam Aadmi Party, which is gaining power from state to state with the votes of Dalits, Muslims and backwards, has failed to represent these sections, whether it is to send them from Delhi to the Rajya Sabha or new Rajya Sabha members from Punjab. Even in the top body Political Affairs Committee of the Aam Aadmi Party, the interference of Dalits and Muslims is negligible. Babasaheb Ambedkar is very much liked by the Aam Aadmi Party as a symbol, but when it comes to rights, representation or taking a stand, then questions arise on the Aam Aadmi Party.

Is Aam Aadmi Party not worried about Dalit votes?

Due to the broom being the election symbol, the Valmiki Samaj of Delhi and other castes of the Dalit society, including the Muslim and backward classes of Delhi, have also voted heavily for the Aam Aadmi Party. A section of Ambedkarites is saying that due to such treatment with Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Aam Aadmi Party may have to bear the heavy brunt in the upcoming elections.

But despite all this, Arvind Kejriwal does not seem worried, he is engaged in the competition of Hindutva with BJP. Municipal corporation elections are also to be held in Delhi and Delhi Assembly elections will be held in 2025. Though the Dalit population in Gujarat is small and the Ambedkar Vaas and Bahujan movement are not as deep in Gujarat as compared to Uttar Pradesh or Delhi. That is why the concern of Dalit votes regarding Gujarat is negligible to Arvind Kejriwal. But whether it will have an effect on the municipal elections of Delhi or will the Aam Aadmi Party have to bear the brunt of it in the upcoming 2025 assembly elections, it is a question of deliberation.

Basically, the Aam Aadmi Party fights elections under a centralized system where candidates and other leaders are of little importance and votes are cast only in the name of Arvind Kejriwal or on the basis of Aam Aadmi Party’s media management and schemes. In simple words, Aam Aadmi Party does not do politics of caste manipulation and equation. This is the reason that the BSP is also facing the brunt in UP because on the other hand the Bharatiya Janata Party directly attracts a large group whose basis is religious polarization and blind nationalism.

In such a situation, it is a difficult time for the parties which occupy power by adopting caste equations. The Aam Aadmi Party has also taken a bite out of this so that it can take on the BJP, which resorts to emotional religious issues. AAP makes populist promises in its manifesto which attract the masses. In such a situation, the rich poor of every religion, caste tries to bring the party to power to take these benefits. The media management of AAP is better than that of BJP.

Aam Aadmi Party has its own very wide and developed network of social media. Anyway, after coming to power in a state, the Aam Aadmi Party has made itself very strong and strong internally. The party has no shortage of resources and when elections come, many MLAs including Delhi ministers, leaders, MPs are thrown on the ground in that state. The Aam Aadmi Party has now mastered how content is generated on social media and how to push the content on digital platforms to steer the entire discourse in its favour.

In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has not yet constituted the Scheduled Castes Commission, has not reconstituted the Scheduled Castes Welfare Board after the end of its term, was not a Buddhist member for a long time in the Delhi Minorities Commission, when it was represented in the Rajya Sabha. When the turn came, Dalits and Muslims could not be remembered. Apart from making a minister, the MLAs of the other 11 assemblies reserved for Scheduled Castes do not see any importance.

In Delhi Government, from Traffic Marshal, DTC Marshal, Nursing Orderly to DTC’s Conductor Driver, contract recruitment is taking place on lakhs of posts where the provisions of reservation are being bypassed.

In Delhi, recruitments ranging from 1.25 lakh per month to 15-20 thousand statues are being done on contract in which there is no provision of reservation. The record of the Aam Aadmi Party government is absolutely zero even in the matter of money being spent for the Scheduled Castes under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan. Despite all this, the Ambedkarite Dalit Samaj of Delhi gives a clean chit to the Aam Aadmi Party and is never able to surround it on these issues. This is the reason why Arvind Kejriwal is relaxed and he knows that he will continue to get Dalit votes like this.

Will former minister Rajendra Pal rebel against the party?

With Rajendra Pal Gautam, now a huge Ambedkarite society and followers of Buddha have stood. However, he is definitely upset that former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam is still showing himself devoted to the party. Based on the complaint of Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi Pradesh President Adesh Gupta, Delhi Police summoned Rajendra Pal Gautam by giving a notice and called him to Paharganj police station for questioning.

Rajendra Pal Gautam gave his written statement in the police station, but despite this, he kept him sitting for 3 to 4 hours and left only after dark in the evening. Apart from the people of Rajendra Pal Gautam’s assembly and some supporters, no party leader or worker was seen standing with him here. While Rajendra Pal Gautam himself Has resigned and he is still a member of the party and neither party has expelled him. The indication is clear that the party high command is angry with Rajendra Pal Gautam.

When asked by journalists that no person from the SC ST wing or legal cell of the Aam Aadmi Party was seen standing with him, he said that the society is watching everything, it will be answered. On October 14, Rajendra Pal Gautam took out a padyatra named Caste Elimination Sankalp Yatra. Rajendra Pal Gautam started the journey from his official residence. Concluded at the former residence of Baba Ambedkar at Dr. Ambedkar National Memorial, 26 Alipore Road. There is also a government bungalow of Arvind Kejriwal on Flag Staff Road just behind 26 Alipore.

Rajendra Pal Gautam is a staunch Ambedkarite and a leader who came into politics from social struggle. He has also held various positions in the Samata Sainik Dal, an organization formed by Baba Saheb, and has been an active lawyer by profession. Rajendra Pal Gautam formed a social organization Mission Jai Bhim to propagate the ideology of Baba Saheb, of which he is not the general secretary or president but patron. Many programs have been organized in many states of the country under the banner of this organization.

But due to the events of October 5, all the blame fell on Rajendra Pal Gautam. In such a situation, one definitely remembers the words of Saheb Kanshi Ram, who used to say that the Dalit society has to vote outright after understanding the power of its vote bank, only then can power be reached or else the credibility of Dalit leaders in other parties can be maintained.

(Author Vaibhav Kumar is the Founding Editor of digital media platform DNN Hindi. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed here are those of the author. The Quint does not necessarily agree with them.)

Courtesy: The Quint

Note: This news piece was originally published in thequint.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights .