Dr Ambedkar endured insult, hardship to shape India’s future: Yogi

Underscoring the contribution of Dr BR Ambedkar in shaping a united and democratic India, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath on Saturday said Babasaheb endured hardship and humiliation to break social barriers, earn respect for the entire country and empower the marginalised sections of the society.

Addressing a seminar held at Gorakhpur Club as part of Dr Ambedkar Samman Abhiyan, he said, “It was because of Babasaheb that every citizen in India got the right to vote and equality before the law. With intelligence and hard work, Dr Ambedkar gifted India its Constitution and played a key role in uniting the country.”

“Many leading countries with developed and modern democracies granted voting rights to black people and women much later, but India, with the formation of its Constitution, gave the right to vote to SC/ST, backward classes and women in the very first general election of 1952. This was made possible through Babasaheb,” Yogi said.

The CM said the Congress tried to prevent Dr Ambedkar from entering the Constituent Assembly and opposed his efforts. “Reservation in jobs for SC/ST communities was ensured by Dr Ambedkar, not by Congress or the Samajwadi Party (SP),” he said.

He further said the Congress and the SP were responsible for spreading caste-based division and unrest in the society. Referring to the 1951-52 (first) Lok Sabha elections, Yogi said the Congress actively worked to defeat Dr Ambedkar and even awarded his opponent who defeated him with a Padma honour.

“Congress feared Ambedkar’s dedication, intellect and his unwavering support for SC/ST rights and national unity,” he said. The CM also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “ironically carrying the Constitution” while recalling that the Congress had once withdrawn support to Chandra Shekhar-led Union government when he attempted to name a government building after Dr Ambedkar.

“It was former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who completed the work and PM Modi who built the memorial in his honour,” Yogi said. The CM recalled Babasaheb’s message to his followers: “Get educated, stay united and resist injustice.”

besides, Yogi said the BJP’s welfare schemes are uplifting the marginalised communities. He announced that the U.P. government has launched a poverty-free Uttar Pradesh initiative in Dr Ambedkar’s name. He recounted a visit to Kushinagar, where he found that ration cards meant for the Musahar community were held by SP people, depriving actual beneficiaries of food.

“Today, under the BJP-led double-engine government, every Musahar, Tharu, Vantangiya, Chero and Kol family has access to land, housing, ration cards, and Ayushman Bharat health cards,” he said. “The state is steadily progressing toward zero poverty,” the CM added.

He also highlighted the success of the PM Swamitva Yojana, under which over one crore people in Uttar Pradesh have been allotted land ownership.