Congress rejects Shiv Sena's allegations over Ambedkar memorial

Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday rejected allegations that it had taken up the issue of sanctioning the Indu Mill land for a memorial for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh only to win Dalit votes ahead of the forthcoming municipal elections in the city.

Giving an assurance for the memorial and getting the land allocated in reality is a tribute paid to the Dalit icon, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manikrao Thakre said in a release issued here.

"It is wrong to say that it being done to win Dalit votes. The Congress always had the willingness to construct the memorial for Dr Ambedkar, even when RPI president Ramdas Athawale was with the party," he said. Athawale has forged an alliance with the Shiv Sena-BJP in early 2011.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had yesterday in his party mouthpiece 'Samana' had said that the Congress-led government has agreed to give the Indu Mill land in central Mumbai for construction of Ambedkar's memorial to win Dalit votes in the municipal corporation.

Thakre said that the Shiv Sena had opposed the memorial when Athawale was with Congress but was raising the issue only because the RPI leader had entered into an alliance with them.

He also sought to know why no leader from Shiv Sena was part of the delegation which met the Prime Minister on December 31 over the issue.

"In a way Shiv Sena expressed its opposition (to the memorial) as none of its leaders were part of the all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to meet the Prime Minister on the issue," Thakre said.