Tribute to Ambedkar: Dalits across nation march to Dadar’s Chaityabhoomi

On the 62nd death anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, lakhs of his followers poured into the city to pay their respects at his final resting place at Shivaji Park's Chaityabhoomi in Dadar.

For years, on December 6, Dalits across the country come to the city and march to Ambedkar memorial at Chaityabhoomi, to pay rich tributes to their leader. To ensure their visit goes off smoothly, the BMC makes suitable arrangements. This year too, temporary camps had been set up near Chaityabhoomi along with three medical camps, 18 mobile toilets and 16 drinking water tankers in service. Book and food distribution stalls too were in evidence. Visitors browsed through titles like ‘Maratha Kunbi Arakshan’, ‘Loktantra Ka Hatyara’, ‘Pune Pact Ke Dushparinam’, 'Azaadi ke Do Andolan’, ‘Dr Babasaheb ki Hatya Kisne ki aur Kaise Ki’, 'Mool Niwasi Musalmano ki Jwalant Samasya'. When asked about reservation, a book stall owner, Balasaheb Salve, said the issue of reservation is all over the nation. According to the Constitution of India, reservation can be used 100 per cent, but the Supreme Court has capped reservation in states at 50 per cent. Chief Minister Devendra Fadavnis has just been fooling people, the 16 per cent reservation for Marathas is just to distract public attention from the issue of the electronic voting machines, through which the government is taking away the citizen's right to vote for a candidate of their choice, feels Salve.