BJP, opposition parties fight for Ambedkar's legacy on his birth anniversary

New Delhi: The birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, whose political influence has surged with the passage of time, on Monday was marked by bitter trading of charges between the ruling BJP and opposition parties as they fought for his legacy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of turning the deprived sections of society into second-class citizens during its long stint in power and asserted that his government was being guided by Ambedkar's vision.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the Modi government paid mere lip service to him and reiterated the demand for a caste survey to push social justice.

While Modi led the BJP's charge on its rivals and its push to be identified as the champion of constitutional values espoused by Ambedkar, hailed as the architect of the Constitution, Kharge alleged the BJP-RSS were his "enemies".

Assailing Modi over his criticism of the Congress' treatment of Ambedkar, Kharge cited a letter by him in which he blamed SA Dange and VD Savarkar for his defeat in the elections of 1952. The BJP has often accused the Congress of ensuring Ambedkar's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge reiterated his party's demand for a nationwide caste survey as well as implementation of reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in private academic institutions, asserting that the Constitution gave them the right of social, economic and political justice.

The prime minister travelled to Haryana to launch multiple development schemes in Hisar and Yamuna Nagar as he emphasised that his government's welfare schemes and push for industrialisation was guided by Ambedkar's vision.

"Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted to bring equality but the Congress spread the virus of vote bank (politics) in the country. He wanted every poor person to live with dignity, with heads held high, to dream and fulfil them. But the Congress made the SCs, STs and OBCs second-class citizens," he said, and cited the Waqf (Amendment) Act as a step towards social justice.

Sharpening his attack on the main opposition, Modi alleged the Congress turned the pious Constitution "into a weapon to gain power".

During the Congress' years-long rule, water reached the swimming pools of party leaders but tapwater did not reach villages, he claimed. "Even 70 years after Independence, only 16 per cent of homes in villages had tapwater... Who was most affected by this? It was the SCs, STs and OBCs." Modi highlighted that his government built 11 crore toilets and said the SCs, STs and OBCs had to face a lot of difficulties earlier due to a lack of toilets.

Even banks were not open for the SCs, STs and backward classes and availing of insurance and loans was a dream for them, Modi claimed, asserting that these communities were the biggest beneficiaries of the Jan Dhan scheme.

He said, "The Congress insulted Babasaheb when he was alive and he was twice defeated in elections. The then Congress government wanted to throw him out." In his comments, Kharge highlighted the need for a central law for the SC/ST sub-plan and guaranteed budgetary allocations, in accordance with their population.

He stressed the need to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations.

The Congress president again pushed for a separate quota for SC, ST and OBC women under the women's reservation bill, which was passed in September 2023.

"The Modi government takes the name of Ambedkar but is not ready to fulfil his aspirations and wishes. It only pays lip service," he said.

Mayawati, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and supremo of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -- a party long identified with Dalits but whose political fortunes have tumbled -- said the "social, economic and political conditions of the Bahujans in the country are as pathetic in the BJP rule as in the Congress rule".

Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav joined other parties in lauding Ambedkar and projecting his outfit as the true champion of his ideals.

He urged people to unite to strengthen the "PDA" movement to save the Constitution, a swipe at the BJP.

The "PDA" acronym coined by Yadav refers to a combination of 'Pichhde (backward classes)', Dalits and 'Alpasankhyak (minorities)'.

"Let us strengthen our sense of self-respect and unite to establish the rule of social justice and give new strength to the PDA's movement to save Babasaheb's gift and heritage -- Constitution and reservation…," he said.

"(Let us) reiterate that the Constitution is the life-giver and the Constitution is a shield and that as long as the Constitution remains safe, our honour, respect, self-respect and rights will remain safe," the Samajwadi Party supremo added.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Mohan Yadav accused the Congress of historically harbouring a "feeling of hostility" towards Ambedkar and demanded an apology from the party.

Coinciding with Ambedkar's birth anniversary, the Congress government in Telangana issued an order on the implementation of SC categorisation, making it the first state in the country to do so, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

The categorisation is aimed at ensuring that the more disadvantaged communities among SCs benefit from reservation as it has been alleged that its benefits are mostly cornered by socially and economically more empowered sections.

Born in a Dalit family in 1891, Ambedkar was a brilliant student who went on to study abroad and made a mark for his scholarship in economics and law, and his passionate championing of the interests of Dalits at a time when the community was at the margins of social and political influence. The discrimination he suffered in Indian society turned him into a committed social reformer.