Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan wants to take the fight to Delhi
Bhim Army founder dreams of a Dalit uprising that will clinch power at the Centre.
The celebration in Saharanpur’s Chhutmalpur has just begun. The man of the moment is Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, who is out on bail.
“Have faith in me,” Bhim Army founder tells a gathering in the chaupal outside his house. “I don’t make random and baseless statements. In a year and a half, I will form an organisation equal to or bigger than the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The country will run as per the ideals, as it should have.”
In an interview with Newslaundry, he says the 16 months in jail have made him more resolute and determined about his political and social goal. Chandrashekhar says he will work towards dethroning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has a dream of clinching power at the Centre. The advocate and Dalit activist spoke about his life in jail, his political options and why he is declaring war against the BJP and Sangh Parivar.
The Bhim Army founder was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police in the aftermath of protests and arson triggered by inter-caste violence in Saharanpur's Shabbirpur village in May, 2017. Chandrashekhar had organised a rally in Delhi where he announced that he will surrender in front of the police. He says both the Delhi police and UP police refused to arrest him initially. When asked why he went underground after the Delhi rally, he said, "My sources told me that the UP police intends to kill me in an encounter."
Though Chandrashekhar refers to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo as “Buaji”, Mayawati, in a presser after his release from jail, lambasted the Bhim Army founder: “The one involved in the caste violence against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh’s Shabbirpur village and now released on the bail, which is part of the BJP’s strategy is now using my name. He is calling me Bua and claiming of blood relation. I can’t have any wholehearted relations with people like these.”
When asked to respond to Mayawati’s criticism of the Bhim Army, Chandrashekhar says, “I don’t hold any grudge against her. She might have been misled about me or someone might have provoked her against me. She is my buaji, she has all rights to speak about me. Ye humare parivarik rishtein hain. Ghar ke maamlon mein hum doosre logon ko nahi involve karna chahte [this is an issue within the family, and I refuse to involve outsiders in it].”
Speaking on the role of non-Dalits in his Dalit uprising, he adds, “This is a Bahujan movement.” He further added, “When the national committee [of Bhim Army] will be declared, you will see people from the Bahujan community in key positions. It will be run by people from the Bahujan Samaj.” However, he says there can be space for anyone who wants to work for the cause.
One thing that he is very clear about is his goal ahead, that is, the expansion of Bhim Army. “My fight is against the BJP,” he says when asked whether he is up against the state government or the Centre.
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Goodbye, my bhai: Malaysian PM recalls how Manmohan Singh offered scholarships for his children
Singapore, Dec 27: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrote a moving tribute to Manmohan Singh Friday, recalling how the Indian leader offered scholarships for his children while he was in prison.
On X, he described the former prime minister, who died Thursday, as “the midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giants".
And also as “my mitra, my bhai, Manmohan".
Though Anwar declined the offer, he was clearly moved by the gesture. The Malaysian leader was in jail from 1999 to 2004, when his sentence was overturned. During this period, Singh was Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
“Dr Manmohan Singh, slightly awkward as a politician but undeniably upright, steadfast and resolute as a statesman, leaves behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come," he posted.
"To me, he will be all that and much more. Not many people know this, and it is time that I share it with Malaysians: during the years of my incarceration, he extended a kindness that he didn’t have to... He offered scholarships for my children, particularly my son, Ihsan.
“Although I had declined the gracious offer, such a gesture undoubtedly showed his extraordinary humanity and generosity, demonstrative, as the Bard would have it, of a man so full of “the milk of human kindness,” the Malaysian PM posted.
"In those dark days, as I navigated the labyrinth of imprisonment, he stood by me as a true friend. Such acts of quiet magnanimity defined him, and they will remain etched in my heart forever. Goodbye, my mitra, my bhai, Manmohan," he wrote.
Anwar began by describing his overwhelming grief over the death. "The weight of grief bears down on me at the news of the passing of my honoured and cherished friend: Dr Manmohan Singh.”
“Obituaries, essays and books a plenty there will surely be about this great man, celebrating him as the architect of India’s economic reforms. As Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh was the midwife of India’s emergence as one of the world’s economic giants," he said.
The weight of grief bears down on me at the news of the passing of my honoured and cherished friend: Dr Manmohan Singh.
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 27, 2024
Obituaries, essays and books a plenty there will surely be about this great man, celebrating him as the architect of India’s economic reforms. As Prime… pic.twitter.com/44bA3s7vst
