Monumental Cultural Capital

Ambedkar Park : Photos Courtesy: Luisa Steur & INSIGHT

BSP supremo and CM of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati is being vehemently criticized by Congress and media for “construction of statues and ignoring core development issues that UP has been facing”. Public interest litigations have been filed in the Supreme Court and Allahabad high court seeking clarification. Union home minister P Chidambaram has also termed it “shameful” and contended that this money could have been spent on eradication of the poverty. Do congress and honorable minister express genuine concerns or does it merely stem from vindictive agenda to frame Mayawati?

Let’s take two cases, one of Mumbai and other of rural Maharashtra, to elaborate more on Congress and development. These two projects have something in common; Gandhi dynasty has either laid down foundation stone or inaugurated these projects. Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Bandra Worli Sea link on 30th June 2009. It is important to note that foundation stone was laid down by Nitin Gadkary of BJP in 1999 with an estimated cost of RS 911 crores. But the project was delayed many times and could only be completed in June 2009 and as a consequence had to incur an extra cost of Rs 3000 crores, 2089 crores more!

Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated Gose Khurd dam in Pauni Tah of Bhandara district in Maharashtra on 22nd April 1988 with the project cost of Rs 341 crores. The project is yet to be completed and the amount spent so far comes around 8000 crores! Timely completion of this project would not have created agrarian crisis in Vidharbha and could not have driven over 15000 farmers into committing suicide. But this prolonged delay of 14 long years is at an expense of development of poor people, indebted poor farmers, and striving landless laborers. Who should be held responsible for the continuous impoverishment in this region that has been ruled by Congress except for a term of Shivsena- BJP alliance?

Ambedkar Park : Photos Courtesy: Luisa Steur & INSIGHT

It can be observed that a whopping 9748 crores have been spent as a result of lack of proper execution and inefficiency in these two projects. This money could have been used in addressing eradication of the poverty, malnutrition deaths of the tribals and preventing suicide deaths of farmers in Maharashtra. Isn’t this sufficient to reveal true face of congress, which has been harping on the issue as if they are the sole custodians of development?

The congress which has been raising voices against creation of memorials in UP is strategically silent on expenditure by government of Maharashtra in the name of pilgrimage development. In the last eight years Government of Congress and NCP has spent close to 500 crores for development of pilgrimages sites. As if that is not sufficient, Hon. Ashok Chauhan, CM of Maharashtra has recently announced that Government will spend 400 crores for development of Pandharpur temple.

Cultural symbols have very strong connection with identity. Symbols shape identity and enrich cultural capital of the community. Cultural capital enables the community to aspire and follow the footsteps Dalit Bahujan social revolutionaries. Formation of cultural assets adds to the socio cultural capital of society. The statues are form of recognition of one’s contribution and have mass appeal that generates aspirations much needed for millions of common people.

Ambedkar Park : Photos Courtesy: Luisa Steur & INSIGHT

Memorials in Lucknow have witnessed a paradigm shift in identity. It has given Lucknow a new identity which provides reminiscences of renaissance of great Ashoka period, which was a hallmark of progressive and humanitarian identity. Credit of this goes to socio- political transformation in UP. Moreover, expansion of memorials has introduced an era of non-violent ways to depict history hitherto unwritten and unknown. Non- violent because it has not come by initiating agitation, it has not come by burning dalit houses, it has not come at the expense of rapes on dalit women, it has not come at the cost of massacre of dalits, as was the case in Maharashtra when dalits demanded a mere change of name; Marathwada University to Dr Babasaheb University.

Dalit Bahujan leaders like Mahatma Phule, Narayana Guru, Swaimi Acchutanand, Ayothi Thass, Kabir, Periyar, and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar have some commonalities in their struggle. Their humanitarian ideologies, affinities in their struggle against dominant hegemonic brahmanical forces, identical struggle on the issues of oppression and exploitation and more importantly they were dedication in liberating Dalit Bahujan masses. These Dalit Bahujan leaders are the one who have kept the Buhujan movement and struggle alive all over India at different time span. Hence, as a leader of Dalit Bahujans, does not Mayawati owe responsibility to honour and commemorate the Dalit Bahujan revolutionaries, who have sacrificed their life for the betterment of masses? BSP derives its strength from the struggles and enormous contribution of Dalit Bahujan social revolutionaries towards emancipation and liberation of Dalit Bahujans.

Ambedkar Park : Photos Courtesy: Luisa Steur & INSIGHT

Can Dalit Bahujans afford to negate, neglect, and remain naïve to emancipatory struggles Swami Acchutanand and his brother had lead in West Bengal? Can Dalit Bahujans afford to negate liberative struggles Ayothi Thass, Narayan Guru and Periyar and Ayyan Kali lead in south? These memorials make the masses conscious of their rights and issues pertaining to their development. Memorials speaks for their struggles the Dalit Bahujan icons have fought, it speaks for their voluminous contribution.

Intolerance towards statues of Dalit Bahujan revolutionaries is not very difficult to understand. But similar intolerance is hardly shown towards temples mushrooming at every nook and corner of India, sometimes even in the middle of a busy city street. The intolerance amounts to utter disrespe

ct towards Dalit Bahujan culture and symbols from which Dalit Bahujans derive their inspiration to keep their assertion and self- respect movement alive.