{{short description|Indian political party}} {{about||other parties of this name}} {{pp-extended|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox Indian political party | party_name = Republican Party of India | logo = [[Image:Flag of various Republican Parties of India.svg|180px|Election symbol of various dalit parties in India]] | colorcode = {{party color|Republican Party of India}} | founder = Dadasaheb Gaikwad, <br/> N. Sivaraj, <br />Yashwant Ambedkar, <br />P. T. Borale, <br />A. G. Pawar, <br />Datta Katti, <br />Dadasaheb Rupwate, Abba P. T. Madhale | loksabha_leader = | rajyasabha_leader = | foundation = 3 October 1957 | predecessor = Scheduled Castes Federation | headquarters = |successor =*Republican Party of India (A) of Ramdas Athawale *Republican Party of India (Athawale){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Peoples Republican Party{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Jogendra Kawade *Republican Party of India (United){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Republican Party of India (Gavai)<ref name="mid-day 1929">{{cite web | title=Veteran Republican Party of India leader R. S. Gavai no more | website=mid-day | date=30 October 1929 | url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/veteran-republican-party-of-india-leader-r-s-gavai-no-more/16401152 | access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> and Rajendra Gavai *Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite news|title=The two Ambedkarite parties, the Republican Party of India led by Ramdas Athawale and the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh led by Prakash Ambedkar|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/ambedkarites-find-it-hard-to-stay-afloat/}}</ref> *Rashtriya Republican Party of Annasaheb Katare<ref name="nrporg.in">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nrporg.in/|title=NRP|website=www.nrporg.in|access-date=2017-02-25|archive-date=26 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226132626/http://www.nrporg.in/|url-status=dead}}</ref> *Republican Party of India (S){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Bahujan Samaj Party<ref name="The Quint">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/kanshi-ram-india-dalit-movement-mayawati-bsp|title=Kanshi Ram: The Bahujan Nayak of India's Dalit Movement|work=The Quint|access-date=2018-05-20|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Kanshi Ram: Leader of the Masses">{{Cite web|url=http://www.milligazette.com/news/11705-kanshi-ram-leader-of-the-masses|title=Kanshi Ram: Leader of the Masses|website=www.milligazette.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-20|date=2015-02-12}}</ref> | publication = | labors = | minorities = | ideology ={{Plainlist| * Constitutionalism * Republicanism * Ambedkarism * Progressivism * Secularism * Egalitarianism}} | position = | alliance = | international = | eci =Dissolved | loksabha_seats = | rajyasabha_seats = |state_seats_name = |state_seats = | colours = Blue | website = | symbol = }} The '''Republican Party of India''' ('''RPI''', often called the '''Republican Party''' or simply '''Republican''') was a political party in India.<ref name="dna 2014">{{cite web | title=In Ambedkar's state, Dalit parties stare at oblivion | website=dna | date=1 October 2014 | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-in-ambedkar-s-state-dalit-parties-stare-at-oblivion-2022742 | access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> It had its roots in the All-India Scheduled Castes Federation led by N. Sivaraj and B. R. Ambedkar. The party established by Ambedkar in 1956 was to serve as an entry point to the Republican Party of India (RPI).<ref>{{cite news|title=JNU |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/jnu-scholars-to-revive-dr-ambedkars-political-school/article8800329.ece|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=31 August 2016|date=2016-07-02|last1=Dahat|first1=Pavan}}</ref>
== Origins == === Scheduled Castes Federation === [[File:Meenambal Sivaraj SCF women's conference 1945.jpg|thumb|Annai Meenambal (L), B. R. Ambedkar (C) and N. Sivaraj (R) during "The All India SCF women's conference" held at Bombay, on May 6, 1945.]]
The origins of the AISCF can be traced to the Madras Depressed Classes Federation, established by Rettamalai Srinivasan and N. Sivaraj. This organisation was later renamed the Madras Scheduled Castes Party in 1936<ref>{{cite web |title=Rettamalai Srinivasan |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rettamalai_Srinivasan}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2025}} and subsequently became the Madras Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF) in 1938. Meanwhile, in 1936, Ambedkar had founded the Independent Labour Party (ILP), which was primarily active in the former Bombay and Central Provinces.
In 1942, the Madras SCF and the ILP were reorganised and merged to form The All-India Scheduled Castes Federation (AISCF) in Allahabad by N. Sivaraj and B. R. Ambedkar to advocate for the rights of the Dalit community.<ref name="raj">Sunil Purushotham. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4lQMEAAAQBAJ From Raj to Republic: Sovereignty, Violence, and Democracy in India]''. Stanford University Press, 2021. pp. 139-140</ref> During its founding convention, an executive body was elected, with N. Sivaraj from Madras State serving as President and P. N. Rajbhoj from Bombay State as General Secretary. Among the founding members was P. T. Madhale, along with others.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Ambedkar and All India Scheduled Castes Federation|url=http://mulnivasiorganiser.bamcef.org/?p=257|access-date=15 November 2017}}</ref>
In Bengal the Scheduled Castes Federation chapter led by Jogendra Nath Mandal championed maintaining the province united, a position the party shared with the Muslim League.<ref name="raj2">Sunil Purushotham. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4lQMEAAAQBAJ From Raj to Republic: Sovereignty, Violence, and Democracy in India]''. Stanford University Press, 2021. pp. 139-140</ref> When Pakistan was formed, Mandal joined the first Dominion of Pakistan government as Minister of Law and Labour .<ref name="raj2" /><ref name="hey">James Heyworth-Dunne. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TS4BAAAAMAAJ Pakistan: The Birth of a New Muslim State]''. Renaissance Bookshop, 1952. pp. 79, 117</ref> In parallel Ambedkar held the post of Minister of Law in the Dominion of India.<ref name="hey2">James Heyworth-Dunne. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TS4BAAAAMAAJ Pakistan: The Birth of a New Muslim State]''. Renaissance Bookshop, 1952. pp. 79, 117</ref> Historian Ramnarayan Rawat has noted that the SCF "created the space for an alternative to Congress-type 'nationalist' politics in post-1947 Uttar Pradesh".<ref>{{cite book |last=Rajan |first=Nalini |year=1974 |title=Practising journalism: values, constraints, implications}}</ref>
=== Republican Party of India === On 30 September 1956, B. R. Ambedkar had announced the establishment of the "Republican Party of India" by dissolving the "Scheduled Castes Federation", but before the formation of the party, he died on 6 December 1956. After that, his followers and activists planned to form this party. A meeting of the Presidency was held at Nagpur on 1 October 1957 to establish the party. At this meeting, N. Sivaraj, Yashwant Ambedkar, P. T. Borale, A. G. Pawar, Datta Katti, Dadasaheb Rupwate, Abba P. T. Madhale were present. The ''Republican Party of India'' was formed on 3 October 1957. N. Sivaraj was elected as the President of the party.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Suryaputra Yashwantrao Ambedkar|last=Khobragade|first=Fulchand|publisher=Sanket Prakashan|year=2014|location=Nagpur|pages=20, 21|language=mr}}</ref>
In 1957, six members of the party were elected to the second Lok Sabha. This is the biggest achievement of Ambedkar's party so far.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loksatta.com/wanchitanche-vartaman-news/sukhadeo-thorat-article-about-ambedkar-movement-1749355/|title=विचारधारेपासून दुरावणारी आंबेडकरी चळवळ}}</ref>
==Factionalism== After Ambedkar's death, RPI suffered severe internal strife.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Luce |first=Edward |title=In Spite of The Gods: The Rise of Modern India |publisher=Anchor Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4000-7977-3 |edition=1st Anchor Books |location=New York |pages=113 |author-link=Edward Luce}}</ref> Several distinct parties claim the name of RPI.<ref name="TNN 2014">{{cite web | author=TNN | title=RPI factions clash on Ambedkar death anniversary | website=The Times of India | date=7 December 2014 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/RPI-factions-clash-on-Ambedkar-death-anniversary/articleshow/45400281.cms | access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> There are more than 50 factions of RPI. In 2009, all factions of RPI except Prakash Ambedkar's Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh reunited to form a united "Republican Party of India (United)". One of the main people responsible for this was Rabbi Madan. Later, Republican Party of India (Gavai) and Republican Party of India (A) led by Ramdas Athawale split again from the united party. Successors of the RPI are: *Republican Party of India (Athawale){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Peoples Republican Party{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} *Republican Party of India (United){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Republican Party of India (Gavai)<ref name="mid-day 1929">{{cite web | title=Veteran Republican Party of India leader R. S. Gavai no more | website=mid-day | date=30 October 1929 | url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/veteran-republican-party-of-india-leader-r-s-gavai-no-more/16401152 | access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> *Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite news|title=The two Ambedkarite parties, the Republican Party of India led by Ramdas Athawale and the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh led by Prakash Ambedkar|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/ambedkarites-find-it-hard-to-stay-afloat/}}</ref> *Rashtriya Republican Party{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Republican Party of India (S){{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} *Bahujan Samaj Party<ref name="The Quint">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/kanshi-ram-india-dalit-movement-mayawati-bsp|title=Kanshi Ram: The Bahujan Nayak of India's Dalit Movement|work=The Quint|access-date=2018-05-20|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Kanshi Ram: Leader of the Masses">{{Cite web|url=http://www.milligazette.com/news/11705-kanshi-ram-leader-of-the-masses|title=Kanshi Ram: Leader of the Masses|website=www.milligazette.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-20|date=2015-02-12}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|20em}}
{{Indian political parties|state=collapsed}} {{India topics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party of India}} Category:Republican Party of India Category:Political parties established in 1957 Category:1957 establishments in Bihar Category:Ambedkarite political parties Category:Progressive parties Category:Secularist organizations Category:B. R. Ambedkar