The decision of the political mainstream, ruling BJP and opposition Congress to have a year-long countdown to Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, contrasts with decades of indifference that reduced the foremost thinker to being a dalit leader. BSP which was using Ambedkar’s name for rallying the dalits under it, is now in shambles after a no show in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

"The weakening of BSP in UP has nudged BJP and Congress to tap the opportunity to win over SCs," says Vivek Kumar, JNU professor and keen observer of dalit politics.

For Congress, the question is why it has remembered Ambedkar after its worst electoral rout. BJP's dalit activism is being dismissed as "symbolism" given the negligible participation of dalits in Modi government.
RSS-BJP will hold programmes, with the saffron mouthpiece to publish a collector's issue on the 'father of the constitution'. Congress would have a national launch from Mhow, Ambedkar's birthplace, which would culminate near 'Deekshabhoomi' in Nagpur next year.

BSP, instead of working for the upliftment of dalits, has used the platform to amaze huge funds and made the leader Mayavathi one of the richest lady in the country. Congress as usual exploited the community to garner votes and then dumb them for the sake of minority support. BJP does not have a popular face from the dalit community.

By Premji