In this election year all political parties are making a beeline to celebrate Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s birthday in a style with a hope to win the confidence of dalits. The parties have charted out elaborate programme and directives have been issued to district units to make Dr Ambedkar’s 125th birthday a grand show.
While BJP and Congress have already announced that they will celebrate the occasion in a big way, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), will hold programme at the Dr B R Ambedkar Samajik and Parivartan Sthal on Thursday. Hoardings have also come up all across city declaring that Samajwadi Party too will hold programme at party office which will be attended by party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
To mark the 125th birth anniversary, the Centre in association with state governments and panchayat raj institutions will organise 10-day Gram Swaraj Abhiyaa’ from April 14 to April 24.
BSP wants to make this event a big political show. Mayawati would address workers at Samajik Parivartan Stahl. Workers from all the 403 assembly constituencies have been asked to attend the function. Party leaders say the gathering will be “one of the biggest” in the state capita after 2014 lok Sabha elections.
BSP’s UP president Ram Achal Rajbhar said: “This is the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar so BSP wants to celebrate it in a special way under the leadership of 'Behenji'. More people than last year will participate this time.”
Congress has also entered the political battle claiming that it is the party who had honoured Dr B R Ambedkar the most and hence planned to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary tomorrow.
Congress leader P l Punia said that it was his party that had made him the chairman of the Constitution drafting committee and later made him Rajya Sabha member besides appointing him as the country's law minister. "Country's first Prime Minister Jawahar lal Nehru also supported the ideologies of Dr Ambedkar", he said.
SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry said that claim of Congress and BSP that Ambedkar is theirs’ is just a joke. “Dr Ambedkar was a towering personality, who not only gave us the Constitution but fought for emancipation of underprivileged and poor sections of the society all his life. It was he who gave a voice to voiceless people and a place of honour in the political order of the country,” Chaudhry said.
He said the party will organise a big function at its state headquarters to celebrate the day.
“Dr Ambedkar belongs to all —- he cannot be confined to a particular caste, creed or community. He has a global stature and people fighting for civil and political rights draw inspiration from his struggle. It is hence disgusting to see that such a tall leader, who was hailed by lohia and Jai Prakash Narayan, is being reduced as an icon of a particular caste", he said.