Ambedkar Jayanti:  Eye on Dalit votes, all parties look to Ambedkar

Participating at an Ambedkar Jayanti event in Mhow, Akhilesh, who has been making efforts to woo Dalits, said that the “Constitution is in danger today” and took the pledge to safeguard the interests of “bahujan samaj” and “deprived and exploited sections of the society”.

“Babasaheb ne sabse jo bada anmol ratan diya saṃvidhan aaj uske upar khatre mandara rahe hain. Ek ek karke sansthaon ko khatam kiya jar aha hai. Samvidhan ko khatam karne ke liye sarkarein kaam kar rahi hain. (The precious gem that Babasaheb Ambedkar gave to us is the Constitution, which is in danger today. One after other institutions are being demolished and the governments are working to finish it off),” the SP chief said in Mhow.

“We are leaving Mhow with the pledge that we will protect the respect and power that Ambedkar has given to the deprived, exploited and bahujan samaj of our country,” added the former UP chief minister.

Offering tributes to Ambedkar in Lucknow, Mayawati said that the life struggle of Babasaheb is a ray of hope for crores of poor, labourers, deprived and other hardworking people even today. “Taking inspiration from him, Bahujan Samaj Party was established on this day (14th April) in 1984 to take forward the stalled caravan of self-respect and to unite the people who were divided on the basis of caste.” She claimed that the BSP since then became “an example of social change and economic liberation in UP”.

Having won just one seat out of the total 403 in the previous UP Assembly election, the BSP chief reminded her party workers that despite attempts to weaken the BSP, its supporters continued to back it. “Narrow-minded, casteist, capitalist and communal forces adopted all kinds of heinous tactics to weaken BSP, but despite such ups and downs, the people associated with the party fought with full strength and dedication. They stood firm on the ground with their body, mind and money.

I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart,” said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Mayawati said there was growing restlessness among people, who have long “suffered” under the Congress, SP and now BJP governments, for getting rid of the “mirage of development” created by them and the dearth of peace and amity.

Remembering Ambedkar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused other political parties of doing politics in the name of Ambedkar and hailed works done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil Babasaheb’s dream and vision. “Many did only politics in the name of Babasaheb, but only Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to realise his dreams and vision.”

He also emphasised that it was only the BJP government which developed places of importance associated with Ambedkar, including Mhow. “Be it Mhow, Delhi or Mumbai, the building in England where he received higher education or Nagpur, the work was done to develop all these places as Panchatirth,” said Adityanath.

Talking about the schemes to provide free ration, electricity connections, and houses to the poor, Adityanath said, “The dreams of Babasaheb are now not only limited to slogans, but have landed on the ground in the form of reality.”

“Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is the voice of the oppressed, exploited and deprived (sections of the society) not only in India but also in the world. He ushered in a new era by framing the world’s largest Constitution for the world’s largest democracy. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is always an example in the form of a ‘prakash-punj’ (luminary) to give voice to the affected people anywhere in the world. The upliftment of the underprivileged is no longer just a slogan today, but Babasaheb’s dream seems to be coming true on the ground,” he added.

Assuring that the state government is committed to working for the interests of the oppressed, poor, and deprived, the chief minister said, “There was a time when the powerful did not allow the poor to drink water. They were not even allowed to take water from government hand pumps. Today, under the guidance of PM Modi, we are working to provide drinking water to every poor person at his home.”

Stating that the construction work of Babasaheb Memorial and Cultural Centre in Lucknow was in its final stages, Adityanath said a grand Ambedkar Mahasabha memorial would be ready soon.

— With PTI Inputs