MPs’ stance on Parliament security ‘valid’, says Prakash Ambedkar

Mumbai: The stance of MPs demanding a statement from the government on the breach of security in the Parliament complex on December 13 was valid and justified, Prakash Ambedkar, President, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), said here on Wednesday.

Ambedkar said that after 1996, the erstwhile Watch & Ward security setup for the Parliament, which was under the Lok Sabha Speaker, was diluted with Delhi Police getting more powers for the security aspects.

“Now, Parliament security comes under the purview of Delhi Police, which come under the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister. The MPs were correct in raising concerns over their safety and seeking an explanation from the government,” said Ambedkar, the grandson of the Chief Architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar.

On the suspension of 143 MPs in the past few days, the VBA chief said that Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has the powers to ask the government to give an explanation on the security matter.

“Why didn’t the RS Chairman exercise his powers and instead treated the Parliament protests as a law-and-order situation,” asked Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, the VBA will organise its annual Women’s Liberation Day conference in Nagpur on December 25, during which Ambedkar will unveil a comprehensive plan for an inclusive social system in the country.

Flanked by party leaders Rekha Thakur and Siddharth Mokale, Ambedkar also slammed the BJP and the RSS, accusing them of sowing divisive ideas and breaking up the society.

Giving a background, he said that on December 25 1927, his grandfather B.R. Ambedkar had rejected the unequal and divisive system by burning the Manusmriti, which is now organised as a ‘Manusmriti Dahan Day’, with a Bharatiya Stree Mukti Din Parishad organised across the state for the past 27 years.

Ambedkar said that through the Constitution, creating an inclusive and egalitarian social system propounded by saints like Charvaka, Gautam Buddha, Lord Mahavir, Guru Nanak, Sant Kabir, Guru Ravidas, Sant Eknath, Sant Janabai, Sant Tukaram and Sant Namdeo, is the duty and responsibility of all political, social and religious organisations.

“Although the Constitution has guaranteed equality to all citizens, even today the political, social and economic systems in India are highly disparate. The proportion of women in the Parliament is very low, education among women, Dalits, tribals and OBCs is much lower and they still face poverty, unemployment, discrimination and oppression due to the supremacy of the upper castes,” said Ambedkar.

The conference will attempt to discuss and resolve these burning issues, with the VBA urging people from all over Maharashtra to attend the meet in large numbers.