PARTY: Republican Front-Lok Morcha
CONSTITUENCY: Nagpur
STATE: Maharashtra
MISSION STATEMENT: I believe in politics for social change
If you ask whither the Dalit movement in Maharashtra, Nagpur seems to have a possible answer — at least for the time being. It is Yashwant Manohar — the surprise entry this election. A man of letters and an ideologue, Mr. Manohar’s merit lies more in being the erudite face of the Ambedkar movement, than in vote catching.
Four years ago, sympathisers of the Republican movement embodied in the much-fragmented Republican Party of India (RPI), began thinking of the possibility of coming together. Dalit parties experimented with ‘unity’ in the Nagpur corporation election in 2007. They saw limited success, but botched the chances of the emergent Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Now, they are in for an acid test.
“The [Dalit] community has seen the futility of factionalism. It is not after top leaders; it is basically after Dr. Ambedkar. We realised the leaders are not willing to come together, but the foot soldiers are. This election, one can see a movement towards the organisation, which Dr. Ambedkar wanted through the RPI. The beginning is here,” says Mr. Manohar. This writer and Dalit intellectual is no power-hungry politician. In fact, it was because of his entirely “apolitical” disposition that he became the point of convergence. Mr. Manohar is set to fight the election under the banner of Republican Front-Lok Morcha, whose symbol is a slate. It comprises supporters of RPI factions, Left parties, Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party, the OBC Mahasangh and Christian and Muslim groups.
“It was felt, instead of a new party, a candidate which is acceptable to all – even to Muslims and Christians should be nominated,” says Manohar.
He is candid about his reluctance to contest, but feels it is important for a cause. “My wish is not important. I saw the organisation of the subaltern and welcomed this process.” In his philosophical manner, he ponders over the degeneration of the polity at large. “Today’s politics is for the sake of politics. It is politics for power. I believe in politics for social change.” Mr. Manohar does not seek to restrict his political focus. Privatisation, liberalisation, and the rise in fundamentalism and terrorism are as much part of his concerns as are the immediate needs of water and electricity.
He is set to face powerful opponents in Banwarilal Purohit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vilas Muttemwar of the Congress and Manikrao Vaidya of the BSP. The scholarly Mr. Manohar may presents an alternative – the quintessential Ambedkarite position Vidarbha’s Dalits yearn for. In Nagpur, an experiment is underway and Mr. Manohar is the metaphor for it.
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