NEW DELHI: With Dalit votes in mind, the Narendra Modi government has spent over Rs 240 crore in the first two-and-a-half years of its tenure to appropriate Dalit icon B R Ambedkar. An equal amount will be spent in the rest of its term. After forming the government at the Centre in 2014, the BJP moved aggressively to stake claim to Ambedkar’s legacy by announcing to form five teerths across the country to honour the architect of India’s Constitution.
A look at the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment balance sheet indicates that the money under the head ‘B R Ambedkar’ has primarily been spent on three schemes: Dr B R Ambedkar National Memorial, Dr B R Ambedkar International Centre and Dr B R Ambedkar Foundation.
In financial year 2016-17, the ministry spent Rs 100 crore for building the Dr B R Ambedkar International Centre at 15 Janpath at a cost of Rs 195.74 crore to the exchequer. To promote the philosophy and ideology of Ambedkar, the centre is planning to have a public library and a convention centre.
The next big expenditure was incurred on Dr B R Ambedkar National Memorial at Alipur Road in Delhi, one of the Ambedkar ‘Panchteerth’ planned by the government across India, at Rs 30.09 crore in the first half of the its tenure. The memorial’s estimated cost is Rs 99 crore.
The B R Ambedkar Foundation has received Rs 64.75 crore in the last two years.
With a declining profile of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Dalit votes had helped the BJP in scripting its unprecedented victory in 2014 general elections. Post-poll analysis revealed that the BJP bagged more Dalit votes than the Congress, with one in every four Dalits voting for it.