Dr Ambedkar’s 135th birth anniversary to be celebrated in a grand manner

Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniv to be celebrated in a grand manner

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Tuesday, 12 April 2016 AT 10:34 PM IST

    

Sakal Times Camil Parkhe, Dr Ambedkar, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, 125th birth anniversary

Hectic preparations are presently on at the national level to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Incidentally, this is for the first time that the birth anniversary of a national leader is being celebrated in a grand manner at the government level as well as by various political parties and organisations. The scale of celebration this time is much higher than IN earlier years and this is mainly because all political parties want to portray themselves as friendly to the Dalit community.

Not just the Congress party or Left parties but organisations such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are also seen taking the lead in organising many events to commemorate Dr Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. The country has in the past commemorated birth anniversaries or centenaries of various other national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru. But these anniversaries were celebrated mostly at the government level and also by the Congress which was then the ruling party at the Centre and in many states in the country. However, for the first time, the ruling party at the Centre, governments in various states and also various political parties are vying with each other in hosting birth anniversary celebrations to show their affection and admiration for the architect of the country’s Constitution.

Right from the pre-independence era, Dr Ambedkar had carried out his pioneering social and political work, independent of the Congress movement then led by Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and other stalwarts. At times, he directly came into conflict with Mahatma Gandhi and also the Congress policy on various issues including on the issue of interests of the untouchables or cooperation with the British regime during the Second World War. Dr Ambedkar continued his ‘ekla chalo re’ policy even after Independence, nonetheless, he was privileged to write the Constitution of the free nation and also served as the first Union Law Minister.

After his death in 1956, the influence of Dr Ambedkar was mainly experienced in his home state, Maharashtra. The credit for making him a national Dalit icon should be given to Bahujan Samaj Party leaders Kanshi Ram and Mayawati who in the 1980s highlighted his revolutionary role in the upliftment of Dalits. This led to a scramble among all political parties to stake claim on the legacy of Dr Ambedkar. In keeping with this pursuit, the VP Singh-led government at the Centre had honoured Dr Ambedkar posthumously with Bharat Ratna and also declared a public holiday on his birth anniversary on April 14.

The significant role played by Dr Ambedkar in legal abolition of the practice of untouchability and thus bringing in the rule of equality is now acknowledged all over the world. He has been rightly hailed as the modern Manu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly said that Dr Ambedkar had truly deserved the Nobel award like Martin Luther King who strove for abolition of racist practices in the USA.

In his later years, Dr Ambedkar was preparing to form a new Republican Party which would have leaders of various communities, Dalits and others. Unfortunately, Dr Ambedkar died before the party was formally formed and the Republican Party that came into existence later turned into a party of Dalits only and Dr Ambedkar himself was converted into a Dalit icon, although he would have desisted confining his vision, mission and contribution to a single community.

Six decades after his death, Dr Ambedkar continues to inspire and influence a wider section of the academia, political thinkers and the masses alike. He commands respect and evokes veneration like no other national leader of the previous century. But

it is obvious that political parties want to secure votes of the Dalit community by shouting allegiance and exhibiting that they follow Dr Ambedkar’s thoughts on the occasion of his 125th anniversary.

No wonder, all political parties are now working overtime to make this year’s anniversary event mainly to prove their allegiance to his philosophy and thus encash the votes of his ardent followers.