Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav paid rich tributes to Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on his 125th birth anniversary at Ambedkar Mahasabha in lucknow on Thursday.
In his brief addresss, the Governor said that Dr Ambedkar is being respected all over the world for his fight to extend rights to the poor and downtrodden.
"It is a matter of a great honour that the Central government was making three memorials of Dr Ambedkar - one in london, his place of residence at 26, Alipur Road in New Delhi and at the disputed Indu Mill land in Mumbai," Naik said. The Governor also raised the slogan of 'Ambedkar ki Jai' during the programme.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that his government was making an Ambedkar memorial at Chak Gajaria (CG) City on the outskirts of lucknow. Without naming Bahujan Samaj Party, Yadav said that Dr Ambedkar did not represent any particular caste but he was the leader of the entire country.
On the occasion, SP candidate from lucknow Cantonment and sister-in-law of the CM, Aparna Yadav expressed her wish to become a 'Mini Ambedkar'.
"Dr Ambedkar launched an agitation to bring the oppressed section into the main stream of the society," she said and added that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had set up Ambedkar Mahasabha, re-named the Vidhan Sabha Marg as Ambedkar Marg and launched the Ambedkar Gram Vikas programme.
Aparna Yadav also cut a birthday cake to celebrate Dr Ambedkar's anniversary. During the function, she was gifted a a small statue of Buddha by Ambedkar Mahasabha office bearers.
Former Union government Secretary Harish Chandra, journalist Dayanath Nigam, artist Archana Arya and Anamika Singh and social worker Jagat Narain were given the 'Dr Ambedkar Ratna' award by the Governor.