MUMBAI, January 4: For scions of nationalist leaders it is time for switching sides. Following in the footsteps of Bal Gangadhar Tilak's great-grandson, the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Ashok Mukund Ambedkar (cousin of Prakash Ambedkar) joined Bharatiya Janata Party today.Ashok, the Mumbai pradesh general secretary of Republic Party of India, quit along with over 21 RPI members to join the BJP.
Welcoming the new entrants, Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde termed the defection as a `revolutionary event'. ``A member of the Ambedkar family is with us. There is a growing dissatisfaction among the RPI members. Talks are on between the Shiv Sena, the BJP and other RPI heavyweights as well as the Congress. More defections are expected,'' he said.
Dismissing the possiblity of dissatisfaction among BJP members, Munde admitted that the party would keep some seats vacant for big-time defectors. According to him, the Pune seat (the constituency of former Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi) is one such
example.
Speaking on his defection, Ashok Ambedkar stated, ``I was sick of the tamasha in the RPI. If the BJP wants me to contest elections I will. Otherwise I shall reach out to the people by campaigning for others.'' ``BJP's anti-Dalit image is only a misconception,'' he added.
Mumbai RPI vice president Pervez Ali Khan and RPI (Athavle) secretary Prabhakar Yashvante have also joined the BJP.
Munde also disclosed that ``on Tuesday, 1,000 Muslims in Jalgaon will join the BJP in the presence of A B Vajpayee. Pralhad Patil will be joining us in Karad. Muslims in Maharashtra had turned to the Samajwadi Party because they were dissatisfied with the Congress. If RPI joins hands with the Congress, all factions of the RPI will not like it. This will be just the beginning of defections from the Congress as well. If the Congress leaves five out of the 11 Vidharba seats vacant, the party will cease to have a presence in this region.''
Munde will begin his campaign Jan 20 with a visit to the Tulja Bhavani
temple. ``The names of 50 per cent of the BJP candidates will be announced on Jan 11 and the rest on January 27,'' he said.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
