HVK Archives: Dalit leaders not to demand ban on Shourie's book
Dalit leaders not to demand ban on Shourie's book - The Indian Express
Express News Service
()
5 August 1997
Title: Dalit leaders not to demand ban on Shourie's book
Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 5, 1997
Instead of seeking a ban, the Dalit leaders in Maharashtra have decided to
bring out a book on Ambedkar as counter to Arun Shourie's Worshipping False
Gods. Ibis decision comes at a time when the Congress, Janata Dal and
other political parties with a tacit support of the ruling saffron brigade
are demanding a ban on Shourie's controversial book on B R Ambedkar.
A meeting of Dalit intellectuals was convened yesterday by the grandson of
Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar in Aurangabad, to chalk out a strategy in this
regard. The meeting was attended by over 40 prominent Dalit thinkers of
the State.
The Dalit thinkers in Ambedkar's home state have decided to compile various
articles on Ambedkar written in Marathi over the years and publish them in
English to counter the intellectual assault'. A Phule Ambedkar Academic
Council has been set up to undertake this task while Prakash Ambedkar has
taken up the responsibility of organising the publication of t he book.
Retired professor of Marathi and renowned Dalit intellect Gangadhar
Pantawane, told The Indian Express that the meeting felt that demanding a
ban on Shourie's book would amount to giving too much importance to his
work. The best way to counter him would be to write a counter book giving
details of the life and the work of Ambedkar. Pantawane will lead the team
of writers.
Among the other things the 'intellects,' also resolved to actively
participate in the golden jubilee anniversary of independence and handle
situations like desecration of statutes with restrain.
Commenting on Shourie's book, Dalit poet Arjun Dangle said it was not only
propagandist in nature but was also a part of a larger game plan of the
Sangh Parivar. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had always used the strategy
to discredit the leaders of non-Brahmin India with a clear intention of
carving out a Hindu Rashtra. B R Ambedkar was just the last target in the
series of such intellectual assault Dangle said.
"In my opinion there is no difference between those who desecrated statue
of Ambedkar and Shourie; some distort statues and some distort historic
images of leaders," Dangle said.
On the other hand the Marxists-Dalit thinkers have also come out to
intellectually oppose the "anti-Ambedkar propaganda", even though they have
had several differences with Ambedkar's vision of India. Sambhaji Bhagat a
Marxist cultural activist, said the caste contradiction was one area where
the Left radicals could not think clearly. Its time that the Indian Left
formulated their views on caste question otherwise they would have no
answers to such intellectual assaults, he added.
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