In a veiled attack on the BJP and Congress, AAP’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that the country’s two main political parties have been paying only lip service to Bharat Ratna Dr DR Ambedkar’s legacy and using his name in pursuit of their vote-bank politics.
Speaking at a programme organised by the AAP at its headquarters to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar, he said, “Today, in politics, we see how some parties and leaders garland Babasaheb, offer flowers at his statues, and claim to pay tribute. It’s all a façade.”
“Imagine if you tell your son to follow a certain path, but he refuses. He does the opposite of what you teach, contradicts your every word and then every morning he places flowers before your photo. What’s the point of that? That’s exactly what these parties and leaders are doing with Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.
Without naming any party, the former Delhi chief minister said, “India’s two main parties have no genuine love for Babasaheb. Out of political compulsion, they’re forced to put up a facade of respect.”
Referring to the BJP government in Delhi, Kejriwal said, “It hasn’t even been two months, and the BJP has already begun to dismantle the entire education system in Delhi. It’s a frenzy — a loot. Not all private schools are bad, but some are pouncing like hungry wolves on parents.”
Pointing at the practices of private schools, he claimed that parents are posting on social media how their wards are being locked inside libraries, not allowed to attend classes, and subjected to authoritarian treatment.