Using B.R. Ambedkar’s 124th birth anniversary on Tuesday as an opportunity, the Congress will embark on a year-long campaign to bring Dalits back into its fold.
Through a series of events across the country, the party intends to spread the message that it worked closely with Dr. Ambedkar in the shaping of the Indian Constitution and that it is the only party that has taken forward his ideologies through various programmes and legislations.
The move to bring greater publicity to the commemoration comes in the wake of reports that the BJP is attempting to ‘appropriate’ Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy through its own programmes.
Plans for the year-long celebration which will begin at Mhow, the birthplace of Dr. Ambedkar in Madhya Pradesh, were finalised at a meeting held by party president Sonia Gandhi on Monday.
‘Congress did the most’“The fact is that it is the Congress party that implemented Dr. Ambedkar’s ideals, be it implementation of reservation in education and employment for SCs and STs, or the SC/ST(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It is only Congress governments that have done most to bring in laws for the socio-economic development of the disadvantaged,” the Congress president said, a party release said.
Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi was not present at the meeting though senior leaders said he would attend events by the end of May.
