Ambedkar hints at alliance with Congress-NCP for 2019 polls

Hinting at a tie-up with the Congress-NCP, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday said his party will set up an umbrella organization of all deprived sections of society to defeat the BJP in the 2019 general and Maharashtra electionsand urged and "all progressive and like-minded opposition parties" to join it.

Ambedkar, the grandson of the Indian Constitution's Architect B.R. Ambedkar, indicated for the first time that the BBM would be ready to join hands with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in a broad front comprising other backward groups and minorities in the country.

On the proposed front comprising backward castes and communities, he said all parties are welcome to join it.

"The new platform will provide an equal opportunity to all deprived communities who have currently no representation in any political party. We will put up candidates from various small, backward, ethnic communities or tribals or other groups to bring them to the political mainstream," Ambedkar told media persons here.

For instance, he said people of the Dhangar, Mali, OBCs and Muslim communities would get two seats each, for which he urged all other political parties also to cooperate and support them.

Towards this objective, Ambedkar said he would launch a tour of all districts in Maharashtra from June 27 to urge participation and endorsement of all such deprived organisations and groups in the state.

He said that there is a huge resentment among the masses vis-a-vis the ruling BJP and the Congress is being talked about as an alternative, but the people are also looking at other options.

During his Pune visit, Ambedkar also met prominent literary and political personalities to discuss the proposed alliance of all deprived sections of society and soliciting the support of other progressive and like-minded forces.

--IANS

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