BJP, Congress vie for Ambedkar legacy

 

While the main Opposition Congress has decided to observe the 125th birth anniversary in an “aggressive way”, its vice-president Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to inaugurate a national launch of the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the dalit icon at the latter’s birthplace in Mhow on June 2.  

The ruling BJP also insisted that it is not new for it to mark programmes to honour Dr Ambedkar and claimed that the Jana Sangh had done it way back in 1953. 

 

The party also said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat chief minister, a massive yatra was taken to honour the Constitution and its architect. Incidentally, Assembly elections are scheduled in Bihar later this year where there is a significant dalit and mahadalit votebank. Uttar Pradesh, where elections are scheduled in 2017, also has a high percentage of dalit population. 

 

A committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister has been constituted to suggest different programmes and activities to be undertaken by various ministries, departments, states and Union Territories to celebrate Ambedkar’s anniversary and spread his thoughts and ideas. 

 

Hitting out at Mr Gandhi, Union minister  Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Rahul Gandhi and his party never honoured Ambedkar. Neither did he get the Bharat Ratna nor was his oil painting installed in Parliament premises as long as the Congress was in power. If today somebody is going there (Mhow), I want to ask why did he not do it for so many years.”