"Young Dalit Leaders Have Age, Situation On Their Side"

How do you see the rise of the Bhim Army in Uttar Pradesh?

During the last assembly elections in UP, it was a common consensus among many [dalit leaders] that we’d give one more chance to Mayawati.

- Pranita Kulkarni

If she comes back, well and good. If she doesn’t, let’s give somebody else a chance. As it turned out, she could not make a comeback. People started searching for a new face. A lot of meetings were taking place. Some leaders’ names were being considered and discussed in the meetings. In the meantime, Saharanpur happened. The Bhim Sena was formed overnight. This is a reaction… reaction to the incident. Now, people who were looking for somebody else have rallied behind Chandrashekhar Azad.

Can Azad be the face of the dalit movement in UP?

I think he is in the same position as Kanshi Ram was when he had stepped into UP. Earlier also, the RPI was very strong in UP. But by the time we reached the late eighties, there was a leadership vacuum. Kanshi Ram filled that vacuum, and then he built an entire organisation taking other leaders as his counsel. Azad is a young person. He needs to articulate things. He’s been made a culprit. During the Saharanpur incident, he was not even there. He came into the picture after the clash. Now, a lot of things depend on him. He should be able to gauge who are his adversaries, in the first place. That is one of the important decisions he’ll have to take. He should accept the fact that even in this hostile situation, Mayawati is not totally out. People are looking for a new face – this is also a reality. We’ll have to wait and see who emerges now.