B R Ambedkar’s birthday will be an important day for BJP this year. BJP’s youth wing will set out on a campaign for ‘harmony’ on April 14th. The aim of the campaign is to eradicate casteism and bring harmony between sections of the society.
While the aims are ambitious, the intentions may be good. Abhijaat Mishra will be in-charge of the campaign called, ‘Samrasta Abhiyaan’ the Yuva Morcha is set to come to a conclusion on December 6th on Ambedkar’s death anniversary. The schedule of the campaign will be known on March 18th. A variety of programmes has been organised for the time period of seven-and-a-half months.
The idea is to integrate society Mishra told the press, it will bring the youth of the country together and champion the cause for nation-building. One of the programmes organised is the ‘Samrasta bhoj’ which includes eating beside the lower castes. Another programme cut from the same cloth is tieing of ‘Samrasta sootra’ which will including visiting areas occupied by the lower castes. Mishra attributed the divide in Indian society to casteism or untouchability. The Morcha also comes at a time when the statues of political icons are coming under threat. It’s not really the disrespect shown to the statues but rather the attack on what these statues signify. They signify the larger victories of Indian society over social evils.
The morcha is yet to begin, but the real question is whether it can achieve what it’s setting out to. It can just end up becoming one of the many events that take place on a daily basis that means little to people. The growth of the movement will be determined by the cause it works for and the people it will ultimately evolve, more than organising a movement it’s about the support it will receive.