Most Ambedkar statues vandalised during BJP’s rule: Akhilesh

LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP, alleging that a party under whose rule the most statues of BR Ambedkar were vandalised is now trying to send a “false message” by releasing funds for their beautification under the ‘Dr Ambedkar Moorti Vikas Yojana’.

“The most statues of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar have been vandalised during the BJP government’s 10-year rule, and today, the same people responsible for the vandalism are trying to send a false message before the elections by providing budgetary support. But the people of UP are wise and cautious. Even today, discrimination against Dalits, backward classes and especially against the PDA continues,” Yadav said speaking to the media after garlanding the Ambedkar statue in Hazratganj, Lucknow, on the occasion of Baba Saheb’s 135th birth anniversary.

Later, a function was held at the SP’s state headquarters in Lucknow, where Yadav paid his respects by garlanding a portrait of Ambedkar in the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia auditorium.

The SP chief also drew a parallel between the assassination of former American President Abraham Lincoln and the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar.

He said that April 14, 1865, marked Lincoln’s assassination after he abolished slavery, while April 14, 1891, marked Ambedkar’s birth. Quoting Lincoln’s alleged last words – “After me, surely someone will come who will secure the right to live with dignity for the exploited, the deprived and the downtrodden” – Yadav declared that nature performed a miracle by bringing Baba Saheb into the world on the very same day to complete the unfinished mission of liberation.

Attacking the BJP government, Akhilesh Yadav said: “During the Lok Sabha elections, BJP members claimed that if they won 400 seats, they would change the Constitution. We express our gratitude to the people of UP and the nation; by voting against the BJP to safeguard Baba Saheb’s Constitution and democracy, they have successfully preserved the Constitution.”

“The Constitution is a shield for us, a lifesaver. It gives us justice. The Constitution is the gift of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, which gives us equality and an opportunity to move forward. The Constitution is our protector, and to protect it, we will always work to carry forward the principles of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar,” he said.

The SP chief urged unity to realise the socialist dream of Ram Manohar Lohia and promised that a future Samajwadi government in 2027 would make the study of the Constitution mandatory in all educational institutions. “In 2027, upon forming a Samajwadi government, we will make the study of the Constitution mandatory in all schools, colleges and universities, ensuring that every citizen of this nation becomes fully cognisant of their rights and their inherent power,” he added.