Do not raise Babasaheb Ambedkar statue height, focus on promoting his scholarly works and ideology: Prakash Ambedkar

CM Eknath Shinde had said, “The entire project including the 350ft-tall statue will be completed by March 2024. It will be our endeavour to expedite the project and throw it open to the public next year. The Rs 1,080 crore project will also have a state-of-the-art garden, library, auditorium, restaurant, and meditation centre, among others.”

Speaking to Indian Express, the grandson of B R Ambedkar said, “For any political party and government the easiest thing is to install a statue or a memorial. Whereas, the larger issue which remains unaddressed is the growing atrocities on Dalits and tribal people in the country including in a progressive state like Maharashtra.

“I firmly believe that what we are witnessing in this project is mere symbolism. First, they said 100 ft, then 250 ft, and now a 350 ft statue. Do not reduce Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar to just a statue. The need of the hour is to focus and promote his life and works effectively.”

“Anybody who has any reverence toward B R Ambedkar will treat the Indian Constitution as sacrosanct. Are the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state pursuing the Constitution in letter and spirit? The answer is no. Or else what explains the Manipur violence? Or the killing of a Dalit at Nanded in June for organising Ambedkar Jayanti?” the VBA chief quipped.

“In recent times,” Ambedkar argued, “it has become a trend to build tall statues hoping they will consolidate vote banks. Such political shortsightedness may have worked in the past but not anymore. The people will not test your commitment to Ambedkar’s ideology going by the height of the statue but by what affirmative steps the government has taken to stop caste discrimination and check growing incidents of communal violence.”

Explaining his reservation about the project, Prakash Ambedkar said, “There is no doubt that the project in on a large scale. But what objective is it going to serve? Are we turning it into another tourist spot where people will throng for site-seeing and picnics? I had in the past conveyed my reservations to the project at the planning stage itself. I had shared my concepts. But I do not think they were accepted.”

According to Prakash Ambedkar, “In 1998-99, I raised the idea of developing an Ambedkar International Study Centre with then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was receptive to the idea but somehow it remained unaccomplished.”

“Either the mainstream parties irrespective of the political divide do not understand the purpose behind setting up academic centres of international repute or they are pushing populist concepts keeping their vote banks in mind.

“I had conceptualised a magnificent international academic centre. It would have been a centre open to scholars and researchers interested in studying the life and works of Dr B R Ambedkar. Unfortunately, Dr B R Ambedkar’s scholarly works in the field of economics and foreign policies have remained unexplored or undiscussed.

“The masses perceive him as the messiah of Dalits who championed the rights of the poor, oppressed, and suppressed classes. He fought against caste discrimination and gave the country the Constitution. But B R Ambedkar was also an academic and a brilliant scholar. His thesis on the economic devaluation of the Rupee and writings on foreign policies have been completely overlooked,” the VBA chief said.

“Had we built a global study centre, we would have opened the doors for scholars across the world. It would have helped our students and researchers gain knowledge through interactive sessions and seminars,” he added.

In 2014, the Shiv Sena-BJP government led by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis planned the Dr Ambedkar memorial project and the work started in 2018.

The Fadnavis government acquired 12.5 acre at Indu Mills. The land was transferred to the state government from the National Textile Corporation in 2016.

The original project designed by architect Shashi Prabhu would have cost Rs 450 crore. Following further modifications,
including a bronze statue of B R Ambedkar, the project cost was pegged at Rs 750 crore in 2016-17.

After the Shinde-Fadnavis government took charge in 2022, the decision to upgrade the statue to one of the world’s tallest was taken, leading to further escalation of cost and delay in the completion of the project.

Reacting to Prakash Ambedkar’s remarks, a senior BJP functionary said, “Populism is part of politics. If this memorial appeals to masses why should not the BJP implement it? Moreover, nobody has stopped individuals keen on pursuing scholarly works to do so in universities.”

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The BJP insider argued that Maharashtra is not doing anything different than other states and gave examples of the Statue of Unity in Gujarat and the Lord Shiva statue at Nathdwara in Rajasthan.