Declaring his agitation for the reopening of temples across Maharashtra shut in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as “successful”, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Monday said that the State government had promised him that temples would be opened in the next 8-10 days.
Mr. Ambedkar, who along with 14 others, symbolically entered the Vitthal-Rukmini temple in Pandharpur (in Solapur district), warned the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government that the VBA would agitate again after 10 days if the government failed to keep its word.
“Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has made the right decision. I thank him for acknowledging the sentiments of the people and promising to reopen temples soon. Today, 15 of us entered the temple and took darshan. The government has said it needed 8-10 days to prepare standard operating procedures (SOP) for opening the temples. However, if the State government fails to prepare its SOPs within this time, then we [the VBA] shall be compelled to agitate once more in Pandharpur,” said Mr. Ambedkar, who is the grandson of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
A flood of VBA activists, warkari s (devotees) and volunteers from other parts of the State had begun streaming into Solapur from Tuesday morning, despite the district administration suspending State Transport (ST) bus services and deploying a formidable security shield to discourage assembly near the temple premises.
With Solapur being one of the worst-hit districts in terms of the COVID-19 situation in the Pune division, the police had a hard time imposing physical distancing as agitators threatened to break through the barricades erected outside the main temple complex to deter them.
When questioned as to why VBA activists were not adhering to the anti-pandemic regulations, Mr. Ambedkar had earlier said: “We have come here to break rules… The State government should change its stance [on keeping temples closed] by seeing these impassioned scenes. I acknowledge that physical distancing is not being followed in some cases, but these are feelings of the people.”
Stressing that his agitation had been a peaceful one, Mr. Ambedkar further said that it was also his intent to prove that even if people gathered together in large numbers, there would not be any great spread of the virus.
“Official figures say that more than 80% of the people who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered. So, then what is the reason to fear this virus and keep temples shut, which has had an adverse effect on thousands whose existence revolves around the temple economy…We should be thankful to authorities that despite no vaccine having yet come out in the market, they have managed to keep corona at bay and that so many have recovered,” the VBA chief said, remarking that more people had died of other causes in past years than COVID-19.
The VBA, which is supporting the Vishwa Warkari Sena, had earlier said that keeping temples shut at a time when several establishments had already been unlocked was severely affecting thousands of livelihoods of those dependent on the temple economy.
A day ahead of the VBA’s ‘Chalo Pandharpur’ rally, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, had staged a protest against the Thackeray government, demanding all major temples in the State be opened up.
When questioned whether he was following the Hindutva line with his agitation, Mr. Ambedkar replied: “We regard Mahatma Phule, Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar as our gurus and follow their ideas. They have never been against religion. Everyone has a right to profess their faith…thousands of devotees could not offer worship at the Pandharpur temple because of the State government’s restrictions at a time when everything else has been opened up. Hence, we held this agitation to force the government to reconsider its decision.”
Meanwhile, the VBA-led agitation was severely criticised by the ruling Shiv Sena and the Congress.
“When the State is coping with a raging pandemic, one expects Opposition leaders or any other politician to be united with the State government in dealing with the contagion. Instead, some leaders [Mr. Ambedkar] are proudly proclaiming of having broken the law during their protest,” said Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
Hitting out at the VBA chief, Mr. Raut said it was “regrettable” that Mr. Ambedkar, who is otherwise known for his restraint, is inciting people to agitate without adhering to physical distancing rules.
“The whole of Maharashtra is intent on offering worship at the Vitthal-Rukmini temple and other holy places in the State. Our government has not the slightest interest in keeping these places shut…it is only in the people’s interests that we have been forced to keep religious places shut and cancel all religious functions,” Mr. Raut said, remarking that physical distancing regulations had been made a mockery of by the VBA’s agitation.
“This [agitation] is not a good thing...Thousands had gathered during the protest. The spread of the virus can very well increase because of this agitation. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unwilling to lift the lockdown on religious places,” said the Sena MP.
Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said that it was indeed most unfortunate that Mr. Ambedkar should have chosen such a critical time to hold his agitation when the State was struggling to get the contagion under control.
“What is even more unfortunate is that a person with ‘Ambedkar’ as his surname should be leading this agitation in defiance of the very Constitution bequeathed to us by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar…he [Prakash Ambedkar] should have supported the government instead,” said Mr. Sawant.
Reacting to criticisms on his agitation, Mr. Ambedkar said that as the government had failed to do anything for people whose livelihoods were affected, the VBA had had no recourse left but to protest.
“The Constitution has given the right to people to protest when the government has failed them. After all, people are the ultimate masters in a democracy,” he quipped.
