At the party's one-day national convention at the Guru Govind Singh stadium here, organised amidst heavy police bandobast, speaker after speaker stressed the need to shake off its `exclusive' Dalit image and include the other backward classes in its spectrum of activities, if it were to create a distinct political identity.

The leaders, however, said with the Congress being the largest `secular' national party, they were not averse to an election tie-up, albeit on their terms. ``Gone are the days when the Congress would dictate terms to us,'' declared Raja Dhale.

The rally was attended by well over a lakh people, who listened to the leaders in rapt attention under the scorching sun, for nearly six hours.

The convention was heldin the backdrop of a feud between presidium members Ramdas Athawale, R S Gawai and Joginder Kawale on one side and Prakash Ambedkar and Dhale on the other.

Ambedkar supervised the party's organisational elections, as per Election Commission provisions, and declared the names of state and national committee members elected by secret ballot last night.

Ambedkar, whose claim to the post of returning officer has repeatedly been challenged by Athawale, declared that organisational elections were now formally over, and did not care whether or not the EC granted an endorsement.

``The Election Commission has no business interfering in a party's internal election''. Even if it did ``have a problem'', he added, ``it should refer the matter to court, as it did in the case of other political parties.''

Meanwhile, heavy police bandobast was deployed all over the City in view of threats issued by Athawale-Gavai supporters to thwart the convention.

Vehicles entering Nanded were thoroughly checked. Police arrestedDalit leader Gangadhar Gade, who was trying to lead a protest march to the convention venue. Nearly a 100 supporters were also taken into custody from pockets adjoining the city this morning.

Political observers say the convention, the first of its kind in four decades of the RPI's existence, was one of the most disciplined public rallies Dalit leaders had ever organised.

The RPI, which remained fragmented for most part, formally united on December 6, 1995. It entered into a tie-up with the Congress in the last Lok Sabha elections, helping the Congress win 33 of the 48 LS seats in the State.

The RPI too made a major gain, and for the first time, four of its candidates were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Ambedkar lists agitations

NANDED: RPI leader Prakash Ambedkar declared a series of agitations that the party plans to launch. The first agitation, to be held after November 13, will coincide with the deadline he set for the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena Government to make public the guaranteedprice it would pay farmers per quintal of cotton.

On December 18, the eve of the Assembly's winter session, the RPI would take out a morcha at Nagpur to demand an increase in scholarship to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students and the inclusion of Other Backward Classes students in the scheme.

On December 25, the day Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt copies of `Manusmriti', saying it propagated the deprivation of women, the party will organise a women's convention at Pune, he added.