BJP holds Ambedkar’s birth anniv celebrations
Hyderabad: The Telangana State BJP celebrated Dr B R Ambedkar Jayanti at the party’s state headquarters on Thursday. Dugyala Pradeep Kumar, the BJP State General Secretary, along with Chandrasekhar Tiwari, BJP State General Secretary (Organisation), Godem Nagesh, MP, and Kondeti Sridhar, BJP SC Morcha State President, spoke on the occasion about the Congress party’s historical insults toward Dr B R Ambedkar.
The speakers highlighted that in 1951, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and others disagreed with Ambedkar’s views on the Hindu Code Bill, social justice, and empowerment. This disagreement led to Ambedkar’s resignation as the Union Minister for Justice. During the 1952 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party, under Nehru’s leadership, allied with communists to defeat Ambedkar. In the 1954 by-election, Congress ran against Ambedkar, who was contesting as an independent, to ensure his defeat by nominating their own candidate.
They stated that efforts to diminish Ambedkar’s historical significance continued, as Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi did not pay tribute to him during their lifetime. The candidate who defeated Ambedkar, N S Kajrolkar, was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Congress government in 1970. Furthermore, Congress has shown no interest in displaying Ambedkar’s portrait in the Parliament’s Central Hall. They also noted that Ambedkar’s mortal remains were sent to Mumbai for final rites instead of being held in Delhi. Additionally, a bill was sent to Ambedkar’s wife to cover the freight charges for transporting the mortal remains of the architect of the Constitution.
The speakers criticised Congress for its long history of betraying Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), citing numerous atrocities against these groups during Congress rule and the party’s neglect of social justice issues affecting Dalits. In a 1961 letter to Chief Ministers, Nehru described reservations as “actions leading to lower standards.” The handling of category-based reservations by Congress has been weak, with delays in implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations during Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
In 1985, Rajiv Gandhi remarked that “reservations would disorganise our society” and expressed strong opposition to reservations in the Lok Sabha in 1990. BJP leaders also pointed out that Congress conspired against reservations, rejecting the Kaka Kalelkar Commission’s proposals for Other Backward Classes (OBC). The party has attempted to provide reservations based on religion in various states.
Moreover, Congress acted against the Constitution by introducing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which Ambedkar strongly opposed. The Congress government has overlooked the rights of Dalits and backward classes, engaging instead in vote bank politics. In contrast, the BJP government has made numerous efforts to honour Ambedkar since coming to power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The V P Singh government posthumously awarded Ambedkar the Bharat Ratna. When the NDA was in power, Ambedkar’s birth anniversary was celebrated as National Unity Day on April 14.
The Narendra Modi government initiated the “Panchatirtha Development” project to honour Ambedkar’s legacy, focusing on five significant sites associated with his life. An international centre named after Ambedkar was established at 26 Allipur Road in Delhi with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The government also released commemorative stamps and organised celebrations for Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary across 120 countries, promoting social justice and equality.
Additionally, Ambedkar’s portrait was placed in Parliament, and a statue was erected in the Supreme Court. The Ministry of Justice was established, and November 26, the day the Constitution was adopted, which is now celebrated as Constitution Day. Modi launched the BHIM app, honouring Ambedkar’s contributions to financial services in the Digital India initiative.