NCP criticises Chavan for 'delay' in Dr Ambedkar memorial

NCP's Vice-President in Maharashtra Vijay Kamble today blamed Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for the "delay" in developing Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's memorial on the land of the defunct Indu Mill in the city.

Kamble, who is also president of the Samajik Samata Manch, had organised an agitation in Dadar here to press for the demand that the Mill land should be immediately taken over by the state to develop the memorial of the architect of the Indian Constitution.

"According to me, Chavan does not consider Dr Ambedkar's memorial as important. I had written letters to the Chief Minister seeking to know the developments over the issue. However, he did not respond to it... He is deliberately delaying the matter," Kamble said.

He said that they would also meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on December 2 in this regard.

"Pawar will also lead a delegation to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resolve the issue. We are hopeful that the government will take a final decision in this regard before December 6, which marks the death anniversary of Dr Ambedkar," Kamble said.

Meanwhile, welcoming Samajik Samata Manch's protest, RPI leader Ramdas Athawale said that his party would also agitate over the issue on December 6.

"We are ready to face the bullets and police lathicharge, but we only want the Chief Minister to get permission from the Union Government for the ground breaking ceremony for the memorial," the RPI leader said.

The Centre had last year cleared the decks to transfer the prime Indu Mill land to the Maharashtra government for the memorial.

Several Dalit outfits, including the Ambedkar's grandson's Republican Sena had also staged a protest march to take control of the land by barging into the defunct textile mill last year.