A political slugfest erupted in Bihar with various political parties staking claim to the legacy of Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on the birth anniversary of the national icon and the architect of the Indian Constitution.
Paying tribute to the social reformer at a ceremony in Patna on Monday, Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has always stood and will continue to stand with the ideals of Baba Saheb and to save the Constitution and reservation.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making all efforts to weaken Ambedkar’s ideology and the constitution he framed to ensure social justice. He slammed the saffron party for its claim to his legacy allegedly to get Dalit votes. “Going against Ambedkar’s ideology, BJP has been following the ideology of Guru Golwalkar and Nathuram Godse. Home Minister Amit Shah insulted and ridiculed Baba Saheb in Parliament. The BJP never apologised for his misconduct. Today, the party is celebrating Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. This is just an attempt to get Dalit votes.”
On the occasion, the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation leaders resolved to “intensify the fight against the increasing attacks on the Constitution of India and democracy under the rule of the fascist BJP”. They also demanded the repeal of the communal and anti-constitutional Waqf Amendment Act.
Alleging that the Constitution is under attack, they said there is a frenzy all around to convert the country into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. In such a situation, they said everyone should remember Baba Saheb’s warning: “If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country.”
The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni said that Dr Ambedkar made education his weapon and asked his followers to educate their children.
Targeting the BJP, he said, “They neither believe in the Constitution nor do they respect the chief architect of the Constitution. That is why they give you a lot of freebies but not education.”
Bihar Congress President Rajesh Kumar said today, the BJP and its allies are engaged in destroying the Constitution of India while the Congress party is making attempts to save the Constitution. “Dr Ambedkar fought for the rights of the exploited and deprived society throughout his life. He never surrendered to circumstances and made education his weapon. His philosophy of life should be adopted by all the exploited and deprived society so that they can work strongly for the betterment of the society,” he said.
Bihar BJP President Dr. Dilip Jaiswal slammed the Congress party, saying that it always humiliated the social reformer who campaigned against social discrimination against Dalits, women and labourers. He also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying that today, Nehru’s descendants are roaming around with copies of the Constitution in their hands, which is a manifestation of their double standards.