The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh chose to offer prayers to Dalit icon B R Ambedkar in place of goddess Saraswati at an official function in Jhabua Thursday. This year marks the 125th birth anniversary year of Dr B R Ambedkar. At a function organised to mark the second anniversary of the Narendra Modi government, OBC and Minority Welfare Minister Antar Singh Arya, the guardian minister of Jhabua, began the ceremony by worshipping Dr Ambedkar by lighting a lamp and incense sticks before Ambedkar’s portrait. Usually, such functions begin with the worship of Goddess Saraswati, as was done on Friday when the senior minister presided over Antyodaya Mela in Alirajpur to distribute largesse to the beneficiaries of various government schemes. “What is wrong in worshipping Dr Ambedkar? He wrote our Constitution. Moreover, it is the 125th birth anniversary which the government is celebrating on a big scale,’’ the minister told The Indian Express when asked about the change in tradition. When asked why goddess Saraswati was missing on Thursday, Arya replied: “But we worshipped her on Friday.’’ All BJP MLAs in the district were present during the Thursday’s function. Thandla MLA Kal Singh Bhabar, an independent who backs the BJP, said nobody took objection to Ambedkar’s worship. “We also worship our forefathers like Deendayal Upadhyaya. There’s nothing unusual about Dr Ambedkar’s portrait,” he explained.
