Prakash Ambedkar insisted that Kunbi caste certificates issued without proper applications be revoked immediately.
Table of Contents
About Prakash Ambedkar:
Source: brambedkar
Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar, also known as Balasaheb Ambedkar, is an influential Indian politician, writer, and lawyer, born on May 10, 1954. As the president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) party, he has been elected to the Indian Parliament three times, serving in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He represented Akola, Maharashtra, in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha.
Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of the renowned Indian politician Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and his wife Ramabai. His parents are Yashwant Ambedkar (Bhaiyasaheb) and Meera. The Ambedkar family practices Buddhism.
Prakash Ambedkar has organized significant mass rallies at the national level in response to various events, including the Riddles March case, the Rohith Vemula suicide case, the Ambedkar Bhavan demolition case, the Una flogging incident, and the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.
In 2017, alongside his son Sujat, Prakash Ambedkar revived Prabuddh Bharat (Enlightened India), the newspaper originally founded by his grandfather Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1956. Prakash Ambedkar has also undertaken efforts to archive editions of the original Prabuddh Bharat from the 1950s, following the loss of copies during the controversial demolition of the Buddha Bhushan printing press in 2016.
Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi:
Source: Vanchit.org
The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) is an Indian political party founded by Prakash Ambedkar on March 20, 2018. Primarily based in Maharashtra, the VBA adheres to the Phule-Ambedkarite ideology.
On January 1, 2018, the name “Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi” was introduced at a convention organised by the Dhangar community in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, presided over by Prakash Ambedkar. Around 100 small political parties and social organizations participated in this convention. In June 2018, during a meeting attended by Prakash Ambedkar, Laxman Mane, Haridas Bhade, and Vijay More, it was decided to formally constitute the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi as a political party.
Prakash Ambedkar explained that the VBA would include all progressive parties, with their individual existences respected, and that he would lead this new political front. Subsequently, on May 20, 2018, Prakash Ambedkar officially established the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi.
On February 23, 2019, an OBC Reservation Conference took place at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The conference was presided over by Rajaram Patil, the leader of the Agri-Koli community, and attended by Prakash Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi, where they discussed OBC rights. Additionally, it was emphasized that the government should distribute property cards to 200 villages in the Agri, Koli, Bhandari, and Bombay East Indian tribal communities in Mumbai, granting them the right to self-development.
This approach should be similar to the development of slums according to village site laws. The meeting at Shivaji Park received a tremendous response from the attendees.
According to figures released by the Election Commission of India, VBA candidates received over 24 lakh votes (4.6%) in the 2019 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections. The VBA achieved second place in 10 constituencies. On November 8, 2019, the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha merged with the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi.
Yatra for Quota:
Source: dnaindia
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) will launch the ‘Aarakshan Bachao Janyatra’ to address the reservation issue across parts of Maharashtra starting July 25, party chief Prakash Ambedkar announced. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ambedkar demanded the cancellation of Kunbi caste certificates issued without applications and urged political parties to clarify their stance on the reservation issue.
Prakash Ambedkar also criticized the demand for implementing the “sage soyare” (blood relatives) notification, claiming it amounted to “adulteration” of the quota system, which courts have previously ruled against. Activist Manoj Jarange has been pushing for the government’s draft notification that classifies Kunbis as sage soyare (blood relatives) of Marathas and has called for Kunbi certificates to be granted to all Marathas, thus qualifying them for quota benefits. The Kunbi community, primarily agriculturalists, is part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Recently, some OBC activists launched an agitation against the draft notification, seeking assurance that their quota would not be diluted. Ambedkar highlighted the tension between the OBCs and Marathas in the state, noting the fear among OBC leaders regarding the outcome of this issue. He stated that a resolution is unlikely until influential parties like the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and BJP clarify their positions.
Prakash Ambedkar mentioned that OBC leaders have supported the VBA’s stance on the quota issue and emphasised the need to raise awareness about this matter among villagers.
VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar announced that the ‘Aarakshan Bachao Janyatra’ will commence on July 25. The yatra will begin after his visit to the memorial of his grandfather, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, at Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai, and the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule in Pune.
“The yatra will travel through Kolhapur on July 26, then move to Sangli, Solapur, Dharashiv, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Jalna district, and will conclude in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar on August 7 or 8,” he detailed.
Prakash Ambedkar stated the purpose of the yatra is to raise awareness about several key demands: doubling the scholarship for SC/ST students, extending the same scholarship to OBC students, and ensuring job promotions for SC/ST and OBC individuals. The yatra will also aim to pressure political parties that have not yet taken a clear stance on the reservation issue.
Commenting on activist Manoj Jarange’s protests, Ambedkar noted that while Jarange’s rallies have drawn significant attendance, the direction of his agitation remains uncertain. “Jarange must choose whether he aligns with the wealthy Maratha community or the economically disadvantaged Marathas,” Ambedkar stated.
Prakash Ambedkar reiterated his view that the “sage soyare” notification represents a misstep, asserting that courts have previously ruled against it. He emphasized that the Kunbi reservation remains secure, but the issue now lies with extending reservations to others through alternative means. He insisted that Kunbi certificates issued without applications should be revoked, and those in need should properly apply for them.
Link to the X post made from the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi account about the yatra:
https://x.com/VBAforIndia/status/1813208439511744904?t=gXvBbMTzqi1h2KmNBx55Mw&s=08
