Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar says BJP is the party implementing Ambedkar’s aspirationsUnion Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar charged that the Congress party has a shameful history of insulting Dr B R Ambedkar at every opportunity. Ambedkar not only enlightened the oppressed sections of society but also played a pivotal role in making India the largest democratic country in the world.

Participating in the party’s programme to celebrate the Ambedkar Jayanthi in Ambedkar stadium in Karimnagar on Sunday, he criticised Congress for shifting Ambedkar’s funeral from Delhi to Mumbai and for sending a bill to Ambedkar’s wife to cover the airfare for the transfer.

After cleaning the Ambedkar statue, while speaking to the media, he said that the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations are being organised nationwide. The act of cleaning Ambedkar’s statues serves to educate future generations about his significant contributions and to dispel ignorance while upholding his ideals. Ambedkar is celebrated as a great leader who illuminated the lives of the oppressed. He was an intellectual who dedicated his life to combating untouchability and casteism. He serves as a guiding compass for Indian democracy and represents the self-respect of the marginalised. Born into a poor Dalit family, Ambedkar faced numerous challenges, often studying on just one meal a day. Ambedkar reinforced the ideologies of great leaders like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deen Dayal and was opposed to the partition of India and the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir. The current BJP government, led by Narendra Modi, is committed to fulfilling Ambedkar’s aspirations. It has established Panch Tirthas to educate future generations about his legacy. During its tenure, the government has appointed Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit, as President and included 12 Dalits, 27 OBCs, and 8 women in the cabinet.

The government has also given constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). It is working toward transforming 1.25 lakh Dalits into industrialists every year. The BJP has honoured Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna award and has issued commemorative stamps and bills in his memory. The party is credited with placing Ambedkar’s portrait in Parliament, and the Supreme Court, as well as erecting statues in the Ministry of Law. Additionally, the BJP introduced the Nari Shakti Vandhan Bill (33% reservations) in 2023 and repealed Article 370.

In contrast, the Congress party has repeatedly insulted Ambedkar. In 1951, Prime Minister Nehru opposed Ambedkar’s views on the Hindu Code Bill and social justice, leading Ambedkar to resign as Law Minister. The Congress party has a regrettable history of undermining Ambedkar, even fielding its own candidates against him in the 1952 elections, alongside the Communists, and during the 1954 by-elections.

They conspired to diminish his historical significance, denied him the Bharat Ratna, and awarded the Padma Bhushan to those who opposed him. Ultimately, the Congress party’s actions culminated in the disgrace of sending a bill to Ambedkar’s wife for the airfare when his funeral was moved from Delhi to Mumbai, he alleged.