Congress’ bête noire!

He accuses Sharad Pawar of having met Dawood, he accuses Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray of cheating the BJP and having secret meeting with Amit Shah in recent times, he accuses the Hindutva forces of inciting violence at Bhima Koregaon, and he is not afraid of sharing stage with leaders of Maoists front organizations. Yet, if one asks who is afraid of him the most, that political organization is indeed the Congress. Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar is the one single force that stands between the grand old party of India and its favourite vote-bank – the Dalits.

Born on May 10, 1954, Prakash Ambedkar is a lawyer, and a writer. He was Rajya Sabha MP between 1990 and 1996, and Lok Sabha MP from Akola in Vidarbha between 1998 and 2004. But, he is known more for various social movements that he had been supporting or initiating. He is also known for forming alliances of smaller Dalit parties to ensure it comes up as a major force in the state politics.

In 2019, he founded the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), a political party aimed at representing the interests of Dalits, Muslims, and other smaller marginalized communities. The VBA has gained significant traction in Maharashtra, particularly among those who feel excluded from the mainstream political discourse. The party’s primary objective is to address issues of social and economic inequality and to provide a platform for the voices of the underprivileged. But, it was seen as the vote cutter by the mainstream political parties like Congress, who always took Dalit votes for granted. They took the major brunt while recording its lowest numbers in the state assembly at 54.

While Ambedkar’s tenure in both houses of the Indian Parliament was marked by his unwavering commitment to social justice and equality, he is known for his strategic political organizing, often referred to as the “Akola Pattern.” This approach focuses on mobilizing support from various marginalized groups to create a unified front against social and economic injustices. The Akola Pattern has been instrumental in building a strong political base for the VBA in Maharashtra.

Among the various social movements and protests he supported or initiated, are mass rallies and demonstrations to address issues such as the Rohith Vemula suicide case, the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan, and the Bhima Koregaon violence. In 2017, along with his son Sujat, Prakash Ambedkar relaunched “Prabuddh Bharat” (Enlightened India), a newspaper founded by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1956. This initiative aims to continue the mission of spreading awareness about social justice and equality.

He often talks about next CM of Maharashtra coming from the VBA.