Leaders and icons like Shivaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh are being appropriated by Hindutva ideologues and it's time that people get to know about this, said speakers during one of the sessions at 'Celebrating freedom and pluralism' on Saturday. The two-day event has been organised by Mumbai Collective — a group which calls itself one "that believes in progressive cause".
Coming close on the heels of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) debate, the event had speeches, Q&A sessions and poetry reading. The day saw various sessions that included Mumbai post 1992 riots, Sangh Parivar rewriting history, Hindutva's appropriation of icons, media and communal politics among others.
Speakers Ashok Dhawale, CPI (marxist), Prakash Ambedkar, head of Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, Chaman Lal, professor at JNU on Bhagat Singh, spoke on Hindutva's appropriation of national icons. "Ambedkar believed in annihilation of caste. RSS wanted caste and hierarchy to remain," said Prakash.
He added: "Parliamentary democracy is about the right to decide who will rule and certain measures on voting in states like Gujarat, Haryana and now Rajasthan are against it. Curtailing of right to vote has started through education and economic status in district elections. They will later expand to say that only those who pay taxes should be given right to vote," said Ambedkar.
He added that BJP was moving back on common civil code by supporting separate religious laws for Sikhs and Jains. "They can implement on 80 per cent of the population if Muslims do not want it," said Prakash.
"Besides these three even Vivekananda should be included. It is well known that they kept away from freedom movement between 1925 to 1947. They have been highlighting only that part of leader that suits them," said Dhawale.
He added that it's an irony that those who give right picture of Shivaji's legacy as a just leader were being shot while others who gave Hindutva vision were being awarded. "Bhagat Singh was a comrade and no RSS leader or Savarkar Savarkar spoke anything about him when he was hanged," said Lal.
