Yet another ‘Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti’ alliance seems to be taking shape in Maharashtra with Uddhav Thackeray and Prakash Ambedkar in constant dialogue over the past few weeks and on Sunday sharing a dais while lashing out at the BJP.
In 2012, Ramdas Athawale, who is the head of the Republican Party of India faction named after him, joined the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP alliance as part of late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray’s grand vision of ‘Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti’ alliance. However, now Athawale is an ally of the BJP and is the Union Minister of State for Social Justice in the Narendra Modi government.
Thackeray, the 'Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray' president and former Maharashtra Chief Minister, and Ambedkar, the founder of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), were present at the Sunday evening launch of Prabodhankar.com.
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Thus, it was a coming-together of the grandsons of ‘Prabhodhankar' Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, social reformer and father of late Balasaheb Thackeray, and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution.
Both Uddhav and Ambedkar recalled the contributions of Prabodhankar and Babasaheb, their respective grandfathers.
“It is time for us to come together to preserve freedom and pull down the power hungry…I am ready to join hands with people who want to protect freedom,’’ Uddhav said.
“It's time for everyone to decide whether they want democracy or dictatorship,” added Ambedkar, a lawyer by profession and a former MP of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
In their respective addresses, Uddhav and Ambedkar attacked the BJP on multiple issues.
It may be mentioned that during the 2019 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, Ambedkar floated the VBA and damaged the prospects of the Congress-NCP Democratic Front.
However, now Thackeray is an ally of Congress-NCP and part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is taking on the BJP and the Shiv Sena rebel group headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
But, a few days ago, Shinde had visited Ambedkar’s residence, Rajgruha, situated at the Hindu Colony of Dadar, to pay tributes to Babasaheb.
“Ahead of the local bodies polls and in the run-up to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls of 2024, it's a big move by Uddhav and Ambedkar if the alliance fructifies. However, the NCP and Congress leadership has not commented officially on any alliance between Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and VBA. In 2019, the VBA had worked against the DF. Whether the MVA as a whole accommodates VBA is a big question,” political observers said.