The efforts made by youngsters like Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mavani in Gujarat should not be given a caste label, but seen as a fight against Hindutva ideology, veteran Congress leader P. Chidambaram said on Sunday.
Contending that caste is an instrument which can be used to gather a large number of people against a common cause in quick time, he said what is important is how that effort is used.
The former Union Finance Minister was speaking at a symposium on how important are the ideologies of Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar E.V. Ramasamy in the current political scenario, organised by the Central Chennai unit of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
According to Mr. Chidambaram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would kick-start his campaign for the Gujarat polls from Monday and will play the Hindutva card like he did during the Uttar Pradesh elections.
He felt if Mr. Patel, Mr. Thakor and Mr. Mavani come together to resolve just caste-related issues, it would just be a political victory; but if they focus on defeating Hindutva, it would be a bigger victory.
‘Hindutva card’
“Not sure what will happen in Gujarat elections. The BJP might win playing the Hindutva card. These youngsters have brought together people who have suffered due to unemployment, discriminatory politics and one-sided policies,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
If majoritarianism is defeated in the Gujarat elections and in the upcoming polls in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and then in the 2019 general elections, it would be the real triumph for the ideology of Dr. Ambedkar and Periyar, he said.
Mr. Chidambaram released a biography on late Congress leader P. Kakkan and also presented the Ambedkar Periyar awards. Since TNCC president Su. Thirunavukkarasar was unwell, former president Krishnaswamy presided over the event.
