Athawale attack: RPI, RIP?

Furious with their leaders, grassroots activists are prepared to take over the party reins if the leaders do not fall in line. Their fury was evident this morning when the three top leaders of the RPI were mobbed and beaten up by people during the funeral. While Prakash Ambedkar narrowly escaped being physically assaulted, Ramdas Athawale and R S Gawai were the worst victims of the mob fury.

The leadership seems to have responded to the prevailing sentiment among their followers. Prakash Ambedkar’s presence at the all-party meeting yesterday was a step towards forging unity yet again. No matter how short lived it may be, unity at this stage may not be a very difficult process for the simple reason that the split was not based on any serious ideological differences. Though the Ambedkar-Raja Dhale faction versus the Gawai-Athawale squabbling in the RPI seemed merely a power struggle on the surface, it was also a manifestation of the hidden tilt of the two factions towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress respectively.

Ground level activists are well aware of the games their leaders are playing. Says Arun Kedare, a leader from Ghatkopar, the RPI split was mainly due to personal ambition and political vested interests of the leadership. The factional leaders would have found it difficult to bargain with the powers-that-be in favour of their factions if they remained united, he said.

Suraj Kamble from the same locality does not mince words. “While Athawale and Gawai want to piggyback on the Congress, Ambedkar and Dhale expect to be favoured by the ruling coalition”.