Rich tributes paid to Ambedkar on 128th birth anniversary

His contribution to welfare of downtrodden remembered

Jai Bhim volunteers taking selfies at a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

Garlanding of statues, portraits and meetings marked the 128th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in the city on Sunday.

Collector K. Bhaskar and GVMC Commissioner M. Hari Narayanan paid rich tributes to the ‘Father of Indian Constitution’ by garlanded his statue at the LIC Circle.

During a programme organised at the Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), its Director Kadali Vara Prasad described Dr. Ambedkar as a ‘great humanist’ who had strived for equal rights to all human beings irrespective of the caste, creed and religion. He motivated the doctors and staff to give their best to promote the hospital as a ‘centre of excellence’ on the lines of the AIIMS and the NIMS. Dr. Rajashekar Kennedy recalled the contribution of Dr. Ambedkar to the betterment of the lives of the downtrodden.

CPI (M) State secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao, district unit secretary K. Lokanadham, city secretary B. Ganga Rao and other leaders garlanded the statue of Dr. Ambedkar at the LIC Circle. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Narasinga Rao alleged that the ruling and opposition parties had made a mockery of democracy by inducing the voters with money and in the name of caste and religion in the recent elections.

‘Money power in polls’

“Dr. Ambedkar had included the voting right in the constitution so that the people would use it as a weapon to uphold the democracy by choosing the right leaders. The distribution of money to voters has defeated the very purpose,” he said. party leaders V.S. Padmanabha Raju, P. Mani, M. Subba Rao, RP Raju and V. Krishna Rao participated .

At the YSRCP office, party’s city president Vamsikrishna Srinivas, former MLAs Dronamraju Srinivas and Malla Vijay Prasad garlanded a bust of Dr. Ambedkar. SC Wing president Boni Sivaramakrishna was also present.