Former Union Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Chinta Mohan said that it was unfortunate to see the name of revolutionary leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar being misused for political gains, adding that the unrest in Konaseema region was a “deliberate” attempt by the YSRCP government for political mileage.
Addressing a press conference at Tirupati, Dr. Chinta Mohan termed Dr. Ambedkar a visionary who would be born once in a millennium.
The CWC member said that a broader thinking and public discussion was needed to protect the legacy of Ambedkar, who was one of the greatest reformers and thinkers in the world.
Recalling an anecdote from Ambedkar’s life when the leader had thrown a box of sweets that he received as a token of gratitude from someone, Dr. Mohan said that Dr. Ambedkar was strictly against receiving any gifts from people in return for the help he rendered them.
“A few weeks before his demise, Dr. Ambedkar had asked his wife, Savita Ambedkar, to promise him that she would continue to living a simple life and working for the upliftment of the poor,” Dr. Mohan said.
Recalling his association with Savita Ambedkar, Dr. Mohan said that it was she who had given him a political life. “When I was the Union Minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao Cabinet, I wrote a letter to him urging him to sanction a house and a pension of ₹25,000 to Savita Ambedkar. Responding to my letter, she was invited to PV's residence to be honored with the benefits. When she came to know about my letter to the Prime Minister, she was upset and chided me. Declining the benefits offered to her, she reiterated the commitment to live for Ambedkar’s legacy,” Dr. Mohan said.
The Congress leader sought the YSRCP government to work for the upliftment of the SC/ST and Backward Classes by promptly granting them the scholarships and providing them jobs as the rule of reservation.
Referring to the speculation that the Tirupati International Airport would be privatised, Dr. Mohan said that it would never happen. He further sought the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to take up the construction of a higher Institute for Cardiology in SVIMS Hospital, instead of a Children’s Hospital, as already an advanced pediatric hospital was running under the government's control at SVRR Hospital premises.
