Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) of doing precious little for Dalits while in power and of now shedding “crocodile tears” for Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar to mislead people.
Speaking at an event organised by the Ambedkar Mahasabha to mark Babasaheb’s 135th birth anniversary, the chief minister also launched a ₹403-crore project to beautify statues of Dr Ambedkar in 75 districts across the state.
Addressing the gathering, Adityanath targeted the Samajwadi Party and its president Akhilesh Yadav, alleging neglect of Dalit welfare when the latter was the chief minister. He also listed measures taken by the state and Union governments for the uplift of Dalits and preservation of sites associated with Ambedkar.
“When the Samajwadi Party was in power, it changed the name of the Kannauj Medical College, which had been named after Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. The BJP government renamed it after Babasaheb when it came to power,” the chief minister said.
“The SP not only changed the names of medical colleges but also those of memorials associated with great men in Meerut, Saharanpur, and Lucknow, including Bhasha Vishwavidyalaya, which was named after Manyavar Kanshi Ram ji,” he added.
He further alleged that during the SP government, there were threats to demolish memorials of icons of social justice, exposing its true intent. “Now, the SP is taking Babasaheb’s name only for votes, but they disrespected the symbols of Dalits and the deprived while in power,” the chief minister said.
Adityanath also accused previous SP governments of depriving Dalits and backward classes of their rights and carrying out “riots and hooliganism” in their name.
He said that the BJP government is working with the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and ensuring that the benefits of schemes reach the deprived sections in line with Dr Ambedkar’s ideals.
He cited schemes like PM Awas, Ujjwala, Ayushman Bharat, and DBT as examples.
Chairman of Ambedkar Mahasabha and MLC Lalji Nirmal, ministers Asim Arun, Baby Rani Maurya, Rajya Sabha MP Brijlal, mayor Sushma Kharkwal also expressed their views on the occasion.
‘Dr Ambedkar Murti Vikas Yojana’
With the press of a button, the chief minister virtually launched the ‘Dr Ambedkar Murti Vikas Yojana’ to beautify statues of Babasaheb in 75 districts across the state.
To begin with, ten statues of Babasaheb will be beautified in as many districts.
Works such as umbrellas or canopies, boundary walls, beautification, greenery, and lighting will be undertaken at the statue sites for protection.
The UP government had on April 7 released ₹403 crore for the upkeep of Dr Ambedkar’s statues across the state. Each assembly constituency has been allocated ₹1 crore.
A maximum amount of ₹10 lakh will be approved for the development and beautification of each statue. Around 10 statues in each assembly constituency will be renovated this financial year.
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