Mumbai: Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar said that unless the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) together give a proposal for action against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the alliance wouldn’t be inked in.
Mr Ambedkar said that his party needs 12 seats for Lok Sabha election besides the proposal of action against the RSS.
Mr Ambedkar said that his party would give Lok Sabha tickets to Koli, Bhandari and Agari communities since he believes that they are capable of developing their lands. They will be given ticket in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Raigad, Maval, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. If the alliance would not take place between BBM and the Congress-NCP, the saffron parties will be the beneficiaries in the election, he said.
The BBM leader also raised the issue of 200 Gaonthan in south Mumbai, which has occupied 2000 acres. He said that the government is planning to give this land to the builders under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) for redevelopment.
Mr Ambedkar also added that 23 per cent of Mumbai’s population belong to the Marathi community out of which 14 per cent constitute of Kolis, Bhandari and Agari communities. The redevelopment of the areas will cause exit of these communities which would leave only 9 percent Marathi population in Mumbai, he said.
Mr Ambedkar said that the Shiv Sena, a party that fights for the rights of the Marathi population, is working behind this along with the builders.
Mr Ambedkar further stated that he would fight against this builder lobby and its contestants in this Lok Sabha election and defeat them.
Mr Ambedkar also said that these communities were in the business of manufacturing small and big ships and demanded that a marine university be established in the state for the benefit of these communities.
“If a marine university is established in the state, the ship manufacturing could begin within the state and foreign ships could also be banned in the country,” Mr Ambedkar added.
On January 29, the Congress leaders had held a meeting with BBM over the alliance but the BBM didn’t accept the proposal to withdraw from its alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
