Ambedkar land irony: No push for dalit issues

INDORE: Dalit discontent with both Congress and BJP in MP is strong and community members feel the absence of a leader who can make their voice matter in the elections. Dalits and tribals across B R Ambedkar’s birth state account for about 35% of total votes.
Still, Dalits here feel a sense of marginalization — a void no national leader, including Mayawati, has filled .With a population of 2.7 crore in a state of 7.4 crore people, they feel the need of one who can keep them from getting torn between BJP and Congress. “Ambedkar’s spirit has failed to strike strong roots in MP,” says C D Nayak, senior professor at Mhow’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Science.
Nayak says BJP and Congress have minority and SC/ST cells but have little concern for their welfare. Mhow Dalit leader Mohan Bakode says after 66 years of independence, several Dalit areas still have no toilets. Critical of leaders such as Mayawati, he says: “BSP is no longer the party it was when it started. It is only the educated Dalit who raises the demand for a leader. MP has no Dalit leaders unlike UP or Maharashtra.”