Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was conferred with the ‘Dalit Mitr’ award by the Ambedkar Mahasabha on the Dalit leader’s birth anniversary in Lucknow on Saturday while several Dalit activists who were protesting against the move were arrested from near the Mahasabha’s office.
Dalit activist SR Darapuri, along with retired IAS Harish Chandra, Gajodhar Prasad and NS Chaurasiya were arrested from the gates of Ambedkar Mahasabha office in Lucknow for opposing the Dalit Mitr award being given to Yogi Adityanath.
During the award ceremony, President of Ambedkar Mahasabha, Lalji Prasad Nirmal said, “Yogi is doing far more work for Dalits than those who focus on building statues. Yogi will one day occupy the highest office.”
The Ambedkar Mahasabha is an influential Dalit body of staunch followers of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and has been playing important role in the politics of Uttar Pradesh for quite some time now.
After receiving the award from the hands of Governor Ram Naik, Yogi said, “The Modi government has worked for the Dalits and has helped 35 crore poor Dalits to open bank accounts. Post-Independence, it is Modi Ji who has given respect in real terms to Baba Saheb.”
From the time ‘Dalit Mitr’ award was announced for CM Yogi Adityanath, founding members of the Ambedkar Mahasabha raised questions and strongly opposed the move.
In a sharp reaction to the announcement made by Nirmal, senior members of the Mahasabha, Harish Chandra and SR Darapuri called for an annual general meeting to initiate disciplinary action against Nirmal. They alleged that the president had overstepped the boundaries of his authority.
Speaking to the media, retired IPS officer and founding member of Ambedkar Mahasabha, SR Darapuri said, “No one was consulted before taking this decision. Every member of the organisation except the president is opposed to this decision. Dalit atrocities have been on the rise in the past one year. There is no way that Yogi Adityanath should be honoured at such a time.”
Darapuri did not just stop there and went on to allege that Nirmal is hoping for rent concessions from the government on a building in which the Ambedkar Mahasabha is housed. “Nirmal has told us that by being friendly with the government, he is hoping to get some kind of concessions on the building that our office is located in,” Darapuri said.
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