Ambedkar plans third front; says doors still open for MVA

Addressing media persons at a press conference in Dadar, Ambedkar said he would reveal his plans for a new political formation on April 2, but at the same time stressed that the doors were still open for the VBA working with the MVA

Mumbai: Days after the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) parted ways with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after being offered five Lok Sabha seats, the VBA chief on Friday indicated that efforts were on to form a third front in the state with other organisations. Addressing media persons at a press conference in Dadar, Ambedkar said he would reveal his plans for a new political formation on April 2, but at the same time stressed that the doors were still open for the VBA working with the MVA.

Mumbai, India - March 29, 2024:Prakash Ambedkar of VBA addressing bto media during press conference at Ambedkar Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

“I met Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange recently and we a had good discussion. He is going to speak with his community by month-end, after which we will take a final decision about plans for the Lok Sabha election. We are also in touch with several other organisations in the state, including community-based groups and will announce our plan for a new political equation on April 2,” he said.

Despite hinting at efforts to form a third front in the state, he refused to divulge names of organisations he was in touch with, saying everything would be announced on April 2. As regards the agenda for the new formation, he said, “We want the age of retirement for contract labourers to be fixed at 58 years, and the number of government employees in Maharashtra to be increased from the current 14 lakh to 22 lakh over five years.”

At the same time, the 69-year-old grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar did not rule out an alliance with the MVA, saying, “We tried to form a strong anti-BJP alliance in Maharashtra, but it did not materialise as per our expectations.”

Earlier, on Wednesday, while announcing the VBA’s decision to go solo in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, Ambedkar had accused the MVA of disregarding the influence of Jarange and attempting to use the VBA to further dynastic politics.

On Friday, he claimed that discussions between the MVA and the VBA on seat-sharing were on the track till senior leader Subhash Desai was speaking on behalf of Thackeray, but things changed when Sanjay Raut took over the role.

“Raut is a spoiler in the MVA. But for us, MVA and Raut are different. I have never said that our doors are closed for the MVA,” Ambedkar told reporters in Dadar, adding that he had warned coalition leaders about disagreements between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress over certain seats, but his concerns were ignored.

Raut responded to Ambedkar’s barb in the afternoon, saying, “Earlier, Prakash Ambedkar was making allegations against Congress state president Nana Patole and now, he has started blaming me. What can I say about it? We still hope that he will not do anything that will help the BJP.” Raut also refused allegations levelled by Ambedkar over the past two days that he had conspired to defeat the VBA in Akola during the meeting on seat-sharing held at Silver Oak, the residence of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. “We never had seat sharing talks separately at Silver Oak.” said Raut.

On Friday, Ambedkar also condemned the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and criticised the BJP government at the centre for using various agencies to harass the opposition.

“If Arvind Kejriwal was arrested for a cabinet decision about the liquor policy, then by the same logic, prime minister Narendra Modi should also be arrested for the Rafael deal as the French government has taken action against their officers who indulged in corruption as part of the deal,” said Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, on Friday morning, former MNS leader from Pune Vasant More met Prakash Ambedkar and expressed his desire to contest the poll from the Pune Lok Sabha seat. the VBA chief assured him about considering the proposal and said a final call would be taken by April 2.