Nagpur: Dalit leader from Maharashtra, Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, saying its “wavelength” matches with the RSS, a jibe that potentially jeopardises the prospects of poll alliance between his Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) and the Rahul Gandhi-led party.
Addressing reporters, Ambedkar also said Union minister and BJP MP Nitin Gadkari will be the “next prime minister of RSS”. Nagpur-headquartered RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP. Ambedkar’s diatribe came at a time when Congress is keen to induct the BBM into the proposed “Maha-aghadi” or grand alliance from Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha polls.
However, Ambedkar has already forged Vanchit Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (VBVA) with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, riling the Congress. Ambedkar, the grandson of B R Ambedkar, is demanding 12 Lok Sabha seats for the VBVA, which the Congress is not agreed to. The Congress has also said that it would not induct “communal” AIMIM in the grand alliance.
“The Congress is practicing soft Hindutva against BJP’s hardcore Hindutva. The wavelength of the Congress and the RSS are matching on soft Hindutva and Manuvad,” he told reporters at a press conference. Hinting that chances of a tie-up between Congress and BBM are dim, Ambedkar said it seems our wavelength was not matching with Congress.
“I am stating clearly that if the Congress does not want to give importance to our agenda then we will not go with them,” Ambedkar said. He appealed to Congress to clear the air on “Nitin Gadkari praising Jawaharlal Nehru and Sonia Gandhi praising the BJP MP”. “The Congress should clarify..The slogans of Nehru-mukt and Congress-mukt India were given by the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. But as year 2018 was ending, Nitin Gadkari started praising Nehru and Sonia Gandhi started praising Gadkari,” he said.
“We are saying that the next prime minister of RSS is Nitin Gadkari,” Ambedkar said. He also appealed to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan to either field a candidate against Gadkari in Nagpur or contest themselves. “This will make it clear who is the ‘A’ team and who is the ‘B’ team….who has the hidden agenda or open agenda,” he said.
