As minister within the Arvind Kejriwal authorities in Delhi, Rajendra Pal Gautam was recognized to maintain a low profile. Days into his resignation, following a BJP-stirred controversy over a conversion ceremony to Buddhism the place he was current, Gautam has began coming into his personal.
On Friday, practically 3,000 folks from about 20 Dalit and Bahujan organisations throughout the nation gathered for a gathering addressed by Gautam, the place he mentioned he had performed “nothing incorrect” on the October 5 occasion and vowed to proceed his “battle”. Members on the gathering expressed their anger at AAP’s “therapy of Gautam” and warned that it’d boomerang on the social gathering.
Gautam resigned as social welfare minister, aside from his different portfolios, after the BJP questioned the renunciation of Hindu gods and goddesses on the October 5 conversion occasion, by him and others. The renunciation was a part of the 22 oaths prescribed by B R Ambedkar for conversion to Buddhism, when he did so in 1956.
Gautam has maintained that he resigned on his personal, in order to keep away from embarrassment for AAP amidst elections. The social gathering, which noticed posters come up in Gujarat projecting Kejriwal as anti-Hindu after the October 5 occasion, has not issued any official assertion on Gautam.
All that performed on the thoughts of the members who turned up at Gautam’s name for a ‘Jati Unmolam Ekta Sankalp Yatra (Caste Abolition Unity Resolve Yatra)’ on October 14, taken out from Raj Niwas to Ambedkar Nationwide Memorial in Delhi.
There have been folks from throughout the nation, together with Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and faraway states comparable to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The padyatra was organised by Gautam below his personal organisation, ‘Mission Jai Bhim’.
Addressing the assembly, Gautam mentioned: “I don’t assume I did something incorrect in taking the 22 pledges by B R Ambedkar. I’m an Ambedkarite and a follower of the Buddha dharma, and I don’t assume following Buddhism is incorrect. This battle is in opposition to all of the crimes happening in opposition to the Dalits and minorities attributable to casteism. This battle will proceed throughout the nation.”
Amongst these on the assembly was Sneha, a 20-year-old graduate from Telangana. “I got here together with my mother and father. We’re right here for Gautamji. Dalit leaders who work laborious and have taken a stand for the group have at all times been stopped from rising. However we’re pleased that at the least there’s a chief who has taken a stand for us, and for that, he’ll get help. I’ll go and inform my total group about him and lengthen our full help,” she mentioned.
Ravi Sood, a resident of Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi, mentioned that as a Scheduled Caste member, “we face loads of discrimination, proper from college to the office. Dalits begin hiding their id due to being known as phrases like ‘Chooda’. However Gautamji’s transfer has impressed us. The way in which he resigned and is now launching a mission to work for the Dalit samaj has given us hope that now we don’t want to cover our id. If I’m a Chamar, I’m a Chamar, and I’m happy with myself,” Sood mentioned.
The MP of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (a Tamil Dalit social gathering), Thol Thirumavalavan, from Tamil Nadu additionally joined the padyatra. “I lengthen our help to the hassle by Rajendra Pal to strengthen Buddhism in India and annihilate the caste system and Varna Ashram. He give up as AAP minister. I respect him for this historic and daring choice.”
A senior chief from the Samata Sainik Dal (SSD), a social organisation based by Ambedkar in 1924, mentioned there was anger in opposition to AAP. Gautam was a member of the SSD earlier than becoming a member of AAP, and he’s presently in Nagpur, taking part in an occasion organised by the SSD.
“The padyatra was initially deliberate in opposition to AAP and Chief Minister Kejriwal. Regardless of no fault of Gautam, Kejriwal didn’t take any stand. The CM has put a life-size portrait of B R Ambedkar at his home and says his social gathering runs on the rules of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh. We used to consider him and thought he was an aam aadmi like us. However he additionally in the long run confirmed his politician face, simply to achieve Hindu votes within the Gujarat elections. However, he pays for his silence within the coming polls,” the SSD chief mentioned.
A number of Dalit organisations current on the assembly mentioned aside from protesting in opposition to castism and supporting Gautam, they could maintain a mega protest in opposition to all events, together with AAP. “At present, we confirmed the power of the Bahujan Samaj… Quickly, a protest will probably be held in opposition to all of the events. The protest and Kejriwal’s silence over your complete incident will replicate within the votes he will get,” mentioned an SSD member.
Some teams claimed the Dalit votes in Gujarat in addition to the approaching municipal elections in Delhi could shift to the Bahujan Samaj Get together.
Within the two weeks for the reason that controversy broke out, the previous minister has additionally stepped up his presence on social media. He tweeted about his Nagpur go to, which referred to him as “mentor and Bahujan Samaj chief”, and thanked the SSD for internet hosting him, whereas attacking the BJP.
AAP has maintained silence on Gautam’s padyatra and assembly as nicely. Get together leaders didn’t reply to efforts by The Indian Categorical to achieve them.