MUMBAI, DEC 5: Packed beyond capacity, the trains arriving today from Maharashtra's hinterland halted at Dadar terminus, disappointing the multitude of Dalits here to commemorate the late Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary tomorrow. For, this was not `Chaityabhoomi' station; Ram Vilas Paswan's promise to rechristen Dadar had clearly remained just that: a promise.The political hoopla surrounding Dadar station has finally died a natural death with the 11th Lok Sabha having been dissolved and the Union Railway Minister no longer in a position to keep his word.Paswan had ``announced'' the renaming of Dadar station as `Chaityabhoomi' in response to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's threat to ban Paswan's entry into Mumbai. ``Paswan and the entire northern Dalit leadership stood exposed on the Chaityabhoomi issue.The dog that barks too much does not bite.and now they will convert it into an election issue,'' said a senior Republican Party of India (RPI) leader.``It was an attempt to subvert the state Dalit political movement once again on a symbolic and emotional issue,'' said Sambhaji Bansole, a district level leader of the party. And, even as RPI president Prakash Ambedkar clamped up on the issue, a section of party activists led by Ramdas Athawle virtually joined the Paswan bandwagon.For the RPI leadership, December 6 is a godsend; it can kick-start its preparations for the general elections. However, there's a hitch: the factional fights in the party and the need to brush them under the carpet for a day.The party is still unclear on how to deal with the renaming issue. While a section of the leadership believes that it is better to ignore it, the Athawle group is unlikely to let the people forget about it.Besides, a concerted move is on to forge an alliance with the non-Congress opposition. Prakash Ambedkar today had an informal chat with CPI, CPM and Peasants and Workers Party leaders on a possible election strategy. ``Their response was favourable,'' he told The Indian Express.However, party sources say they would prefer to keep the Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party away from the Dalit population in the state. But they are not willing to say how they propose to do it. ``In the days to come, the third force politics in Maharashtra will be clearer,'' a senior leader said.The RPI leadership would like the entire opposition to flog the Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar incident in July this year in which 11 Dalits were gunned down by the police. The issue is seen as a catalyst for mobilising Dalits against the ruling coalition and the leadership believes the RPI would benefit by default.All the Dalit leaders are scheduled to visit Chaityabhoomi tomorrow, though separately. However, they are all plagued by the same fear that the infighting will show through.
