mumbai

Updated: Jun 14, 2018 00:55 IST

Dalit leader and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday debunked as publicity stunt the police claims that Maoists have sent an email with a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He condemned the recent arrests of five people, including a Nagpur-based professor, by Pune police for allegedly conspiring to instigate violence through Elgar Parishad, calling it a bid to shield the masterminds of Bhima-Koregaon violence, right-wing leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote. Ambedkar alleged the Centre would instigate caste riots between communities and declare an internal emergency to defer the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“The government, instead of taking action against actual culprits, is targeting innocents, who have no role to play in the riots,” he said, at a press conference held at his party office in Ballard Pier.

Violence erupted on January 1, when Dalit groups gathered at Bhima-Koregaon to celebrate the bicentenary of the battle between the forces of the British East India Company and the Peshwa army, in which the latter was defeated

He said the Elgar Parishad, the convention, which the police claim incited the riots, did not make any provocative speeches, but was against the oppressive caste system.

Commenting on the letter recovered by the police, he said, “It is very fishy and looks more like a publicity stunt.”

Ambedkar said the Pune incident was part of the sinister conspiracy to create chaos. “The BJP knows it will not win the 2019 election and hence is resorting to pitting one community against the other. The next riots will take place between those who support reservation and those against it.”

“The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have started their campaign against the reservation system and the result will be riots,” said Ambedkar.

Ambedkar, however, said the claims of threat to life of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had some basis. “I had revealed about the Facebook post by Raosaheb Patil, who is a close of aide of Sambhaji Bhide, who had openly issued threats (to the CM). If Fadnavis does not do anything, I will approach the Bombay high court to intervene into the matter.”