Thallapelli Praveen
Vijay Kumar Pedapudi, one among the five members of Ambedkar Students Association, along with Rohith Vemula who were suspended in University of Hyderabad; transitioned from Student Activism to doing full time politics. He took a major leap by deciding to contest for the M.L.A. elections to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.
In the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement, no political party was serious or concerned; with the exception of BSP. In the Parliament, BSP supremo Behen Kumari Mayawati had addressed the issue vehemently that resulted in the removal of Smriti Zubin Irani as Minister of Human Resource and Development (MHRD).
BJP and Smriti Irani were ‘forced’ to be defensive in the Parliament, with the intervention of Mayawati. The left, liberal and civil society intelligentsias were upset with Mayawati for not addressing the 9th February episode of JNU. A prominent political theorist had written and justified on ‘the significance of Mayawati’s refusal’ with regard to the JNU 9th Feb episode.
Therefore, I am not interested in furthering the argument of why Mayawati had not owned up the JNU episode. But, it is important to mention that the ASA’s Suspended Students of Hyderabad University needed an articulate political voice in the Parliament. Vijay choosing ASA over other political parties is important for the fact that BSP spoke on the issue at length in Parliament and did not do any trickery or false promise with the issue and the suspended students or their families.
It is also important as there is a greater need to spread Bahujan ideology in Andhra Pradesh. Babasaheb Ambedkar was upset with the educated class for draining the community and not paying back. Vijay joining BSP and contesting is after all for the community interests.
During and after the movement, we got to see and hear only Dontha Prashant. He was invited to many places by political parties, student organizations and civil society groups. Except for the significant denial of taking Doctorate degree from the atrocious VC Appa Rao, nowhere did Sunkanna figure out. Nobody could get to hear the views of Sunkanna, Vijay and Sheshu. Of course the narratives would be similar; if not everyone, at least I was interested in hearing and getting to know the opinions or perspectives of Sunkanna, Vijay and Sheshu.
In the Hyderabad University Students Union elections 2016, Vijay was ASA’s Presidential Candidate. Given the conditions of the University, ASA could not ensure Vijay’s victory. Since the movement was centered on ASA, it had the great opportunity of bringing Bahujan Students Federation, Dalit student union and Tribal Students Association on board. But that did not materialize.
This non-materialization led to ASA’s loss in the then Students Union elections of 2016. But, it has left many questions to the adherents of Ambedkarite, Bahujan and Dalit Politics. One is still looking for answers from the Ambedkarite, Bahujan and Dalit Student Political Organisations of HCU.
Vijay is contesting and there is neither support nor lip service from the then suspended students of ASA. If at all, if there is any, it did not come to my notice. What are expected is that Prashant, Sunkanna, Sheshu and ASA and other Ambedkarite, Bahujan and Dalit Student Political Organisations of HCU campaign for Vijay. As student organizations have serious political differences, at least ASA unit of Hyderabad University and other units in Telugu region are seriously expected to campaign for Vijay.
Since Vijay is facing the electorate on 11 April (I phase), there is hardly any time for campaign. It is ASA’s and more importantly Prashant, Sunkanna and Sheshu’s ethical and moral responsibility to see to it that Vijay faces the electorate smoothly. It could be understood that not all members of ASA agree to the politics of BSP. (But that’s not the issue at all).
The idea of Association and Associational feeling is important in the Ambedkarite politics, as argued by Babasaheb Ambedkar himself. (Of course, Babasaheb usage of Organisation, Federation and party are important too). Since ASA carries the word association, it is an ideological imperative; to the members of ASA, to associate with the fellow Ambedkarite activists and Association members when s/he is transitioning to full time Ambedkarite or Bahujan Politics.
