The Bahujan Samaj Party is planning to revive the issue of the dried up Bhim Ganga and use it to counter the anti-dalit mentality of the rival parties.
The Bahujan Samaj Party is planning to revive the issue of the dried up Bhim Ganga and use it to counter the anti-dalit mentality of the rival parties.
The Bhim Ganga canal was a water body in the Ambedkar Memorial Park that was dried up when Ms Mayawati came to power in 2007.
“The decision to wind up the water body had to be taken because the previous Mulayam Singh government had neglected it. The canal had dried up and was filled with garbage. Ms Mayawati could not bear to see this condition of the sacred Bhim Ganga and decided to put an end to the water body,” said a party leader.
“We thought it was better to put an end to the sacred water body rather than see it in a state of neglect and misuse,” he said.
The Bhim Ganga canal was built in 1997 and was considered sacred by millions of dalits who carried back its waters.
“Whenever Ms Mayawati addressed a rally in Lucknow, almost all the participants would go and pay their respects to the Bhim Ganga and take back a small pot of water. The flow of the canal was associated with the progress in the lives of dalits and was a symbol of social reformation. Its water was pure and sacred,” the party leader said.
According to sources, the BSP will now use the Bhim Ganga issue to highlight the anti-dalit mentality of rival parties. Ms Mayawtai, in her meetings, will tell dalits how the rival parties “disrespected” the Bhim Ganga and forced its closure.
“The BJP, Congress and Samajwadi Party are suddenly positioning themselves as pro-dalit forces but where were they when the Bhim Ganga was being neglected Did any of these parties even raise their voice on the issue Now that elections are round the corner, all these parties are trying to claim the legacy of Dr Ambedkar. The Samajwadi Party, in particular, has always shown apathy towards the memorials built in memory of dalit icons,” said a former BSP minister.
He said the BJP had similarly taken advantage of the sentiments of upper caste Hindus on the issue of Ganga in the Lok Sabha elections.
