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Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti LIVE updates: From Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi, leaders across party lines paid homage to Dalit icon BR Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary. The prime minister praised Babasaheb Ambedkar’s contributions at the launch of the first wellness centre under ‘Ayushman Bharat’ in Bastar. He said he has come Bijapur to remove the backward tag attached to the district. President Ram Nath Kovind said that the the Dalit icon was a multifaceted personality who waged a life-long struggle for a modern India free of caste and other prejudices, ensuring equal rights to women and for the disadvantaged.” Meanwhile, clashes was reported in several places particularly from Punjab where clashes between two groups in Phagwara left four injured. The incident took place when members of a group allegedly installed a board carrying a picture of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar and tried to rename a city square as Savidhan Chowk. However, members of another group objected to it and that led to a clash between both the groups, police said. Several vehicles were damaged during the clashes as members of both the groups pelted stones at each other. In Vadodara, members of Dalit community “cleansed” BR Ambedkar’s statue soon after Union minister Maneka Gandhi and some BJP leaders paid floral tributes on his 127th birth anniversary, a Dalit leader said, claiming that their presence had “polluted” the atmosphere. At an event in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, MLA Jignesh Mevani’s supporters tried to obstruct BJP MPs and members from garlanding BR Ambedkar’s statue. The supporters were reportedly detained by the police. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu paid tribute to BR Ambedkar in New Delhi on Saturday morning. Amid attacks from the Opposition, Narendra Modi reached out to Dalits and tribals by unveiling several pro-poor schemes in this Maoist-affected, low-literacy district in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary on Saturday. Modi visited the Jangala Development Hub in Bijapur and will dedicate to the nation the Bhanupratappur-Gudum railway line via video conference and will also flag off a train between Dalli Rajhara and Bhanupratappur. Jangala village is located in Bhairamgarh tehsil of Bijapur. This model village is situated 17 km away from sub-district headquarter Bhairamgarh and 33 kilometre away from district headquarter Bijapur. During his over three-hour stay, Modi inaugurated a dialysis centre at the Bijapur Hospital and a Health and Wellness Centre, marking the launch of the Union government’s ambitious health insurance programme Ayushman Bharat. “The prime minister’s choice to launch his most ambitious programme of Ayushman Bharat from the tribal district that is counted among the most backward districts of the country and that too on the birth anniversary of Ambedkarji is very significant,” Dinesh Kashyap, BJP MP from Bastar said. He said this would send a clear message that the prime minister does not discriminate and his focus on “sabka saath, sabka vikas” is not a mere slogan. “The prime minister’s initiative will give wings to the aspirations of every tribal and Dalit youth,” he said. Modi will also launch the Van Dhan Yojana which aims at empowering tribal communities. Besides these, he will lay the foundation stone for the construction of 1,988 km of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana roads and other road connectivity projects in Left Wing Extremism areas, water supply scheme of Bijapur and two bridges. Modi will also interact with people, including emerging sports persons and officials of the district administration, who despite all odds are trying to bring the district on top of the map of most emerging backward districts of the country. The visit comes days after two security personnel were killed and five injured when an improvised explosive device ripped through a bus in which they were travelling to Jangla area. After the attack and amid calls by Maoists to boycott the prime minister’s programme, the district is on high alert and heavy security arrangements are in place, with 7,000 police personnel deployed in the area. With the Saturday visit, Modi will become the first Prime Minister to visit Bijapur while this will be his fourth visit to the state since he took office in 2014.
Ambedkar Jayanti updates: Narendra Modi integrating Dalit icon's grand vision into governance, says Venkaiah Naidu
Narendra Modi will reach out to Dalits and tribals by unveiling several pro-poor schemes in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on BR Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary
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BR Ambedkar symbol of excellence that every Indian was inspired by: Venkaiah Naidu
BR Ambedkar symbol of excellence that every Indian was inspired by: Venkaiah Naidu
Narendra Modi integrating BR Ambedkar’s vision into governance: Venkaiah Naidu
Need to end caste discrimination to achieve BR Ambedkar’s idea of India: Ram Nath Kovind
President Ram Nath Kovind receives first copy of book on BR Ambedkar released by Venkaiah Naidu
Vice President Venkiah Naidu releases book on BR Ambedkar
Amarinder Singh appeals for peace in wake of violence in Phagwara
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony in the wake of a clash between two communities in Phagwara on eve of BR Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary, while warning of stringent action against anyone found disturbing law and order in the state.
Amarinder has also directed the police to maintain a tight vigil and crackdown on disruptive elements to ensure that the situation does not escalate further.
The chief minister also announced that the state government would bear the entire expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the clashes, whether admitted to government or private hospitals.
PTI
Internet services suspended in four districts of Punjab following reports of violence in Phagwara
Mobile internet and SMS services were suspended today in four districts of Punjab following clashes between two groups in Phagwara over renaming of a chowk.
The incident took place when members of a group allegedly installed a board carrying a picture of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar and tried to rename a city square as Savidhan Chowk.
However, members of another group objected to it and that led to a clash between both the groups, police said. Several vehicles were damaged during the clashes as members of both the groups pelted stones at each other.
PTI
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath paid floral tribute to BR Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary
Akhilesh Yadav unveils Ambedkar’s statue in Samajwadi Party office
The Samajwadi Party today unveiled a statue of BR Ambedkar at its office in Lucknow on the occasion of his 127th birth anniversary.
The statue was unveiled by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav at the Lohia Auditorium.
Speaking at the occasion, Akhilesh said, “We cannot forget the contributions of Ambedkar, who united people of all castes He framed the Constitution and on his anniversary we take pledge to follow path of secularism,” he said.
PTI
‘Dalit-speak’ of Narendra Modi, BJP a sham: Mayawati
Mayawati lashed out at Narendra Modi and said his words and the acts of BJP about Dalit welfare and respect for Dalit icon Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is a sham.
“Both Modi and Yogi have done nothing for the oppressed, marginalised and the Dalits and they are only paying lip service to the cause of these sections of the society,” she said.
This double standards — of launching schemes and naming buildings and monuments in the name of BR Ambedkar while remaining silent on atrocities on Dalits — would neither be tolerated nor accepted, the BSP supremo said.
She also blamed the Narendra Modi government of not pleading for the SC/ST Act case forcefully enough in the apex court and added that this showed they were not honest towards welfare of the Dalits, who have been oppressed for years.
The 62-year-old leader said that taking name of Ambedkar did not behove both Modi and the ruling BJP as every day they would trample upon the tenets of the Constitution that was the brainchild of the Dalit stalwart.
IANS
Amarinder Singh announces welfare schemes on occasion of 127th birth anniversary of Ambedkar
Union minister Upendra Kushwaha seeks quota system in judiciary
Speaking at an event organised by Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in Bihar to commemorate Dalit icon BR Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary, Upendra Kushwa said that there is no democracy in the court of the country, and the SC/ST community has no representation in the courts.
The minister also said that the government should unite to create quota system in judiciary for SC/ST and OBC community.
India Today
No one has power to end reservation: Nitish Kumar
Speaking at an event organised to commemorate Dalit icon BR Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that no one has enough power to end reservation for Dalits and backward classes in education and government jobs.
He said that he did not know who is saying something or thinking on reservation, but all should understand that no one can play with reservation.
“We are influenced by thoughts of Ambedkar and have been trying to spread it among people to fulfill his dream,” he said.
PTI
Minorities enjoy rights that majority doesn’t: Satya Pal Singh
While speaking on ‘Rule of law and role of BR Ambedkar in nation-building’ at an event at Delhi University, Union minister Satya Pal Singh said that the minorities enjoyed many rights that the majority did not, and advocated that the way the Constitution given by BR Ambedkar had been interpreted in the past few decades needed a “revisit”.
PTI
Sikhs stage protest in United Nations on Ambedkar birth anniversary celebration
A group of 25 Sikhs, some wearing black turbans, protested against the alleged atrocities perpetrated against minority communities in India during the commemoration of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 127th birth anniversary at the world body’s headquarters.
India’s Permanent Mission to the UN had organised a special event titled ‘Leaving No One Behind’ at the UN yesterday to celebrate Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. The group said that they wanted to “expose the hypocrisy” of the Indian government celebrating Ambedkar’s birthday before the world while his ideals were violated in India by the atrocities against Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and Dalits.
IANS
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling hails Amdedkar for his selfless service to the nation
Pawan Kumar Chamling paid tribute to BR Ambedkar on his 127th birth anniversary. The chief minister also recalled Babasaheb’s role in the framing of Indian constitution.
“It is a day for us to remember the valuable and selfless contribution made by the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution’ for granting equality and social justice to the people of this great Nation,” Chamling said.
PTI
BJP ‘hampering’ Ambedkar’s ideals of Constitution: DMK
DMK working president MK Stalin appealed to his party cadres and workers of ‘friendly parties’ to take a vow to “end such betrayal.”
“Let us take a vow (on the birth anniversary of Ambedkar) to save the country from the BJP government which is trying to saffronise all the (public) spheres against Tamil Nadu through its politics of communalism and linguistic chauvinism,” he said.
PTI
Watch: How caste discrimination forced Dalit villagers from Chitrakoot district to leave their profession of skinning dead animals
Video by Khabar Lahariya
Shahnawaz Hussain pays floral tribute to Ambedkar
Punjab government suspends mobile internet services following clashes
The Amarinder Singh government has suspended mobile internet, SMS and dongle services in Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar following clashes between two groups
ANI
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy, AIADMK leaders pay tribute to Ambedkar
Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin besides others paid tribute to BR Ambedkar. Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam garlanded a portrait of Ambedkar at Kodambakkam in the presence of senior AIADMK leaders.
PTI
Rajiv Pratap Rudy pays tribute to Ambedkar
Ram Nath Kovind is the first president to visit BR Ambedkar’s birthplace
President Ram Nath Kovind paid tributes to chief Constitution-maker BR Ambedkar at his birthplace in the Kalipaltan area, where the Madhya Pradesh government has built a grand memorial.
Kovind is the first president to visit the legendary social reformer’s birthplace in the Mhow cantonment town, which has been rechristened as Ambedkar Nagar in the memory of the leader.
PTI
Ram Nath Kovind celebrates Ambedkar Jayanti in Babasaheb’s birthplace
President Ram Nath Kovind was in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, the birthplace of BR Ambedkar, to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti.
Kovind garlanded Ambedkar’s statue in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union social justice minister Thawar Chand Gehlot. The three-day celebration in Mhow — also known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar — to mark the birth anniversary of Ambedkar kicked off on Thursday.
Narendra Modi addresses Naxal issue in Bastar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that the government was working to develop the situation in the Naxal-affected Bastar district. “Naxals come from outside, not your region. Why are you giving them the authority to take over your children? The government is working so that your children get education, you get the right price for your crops and you live a respectable life,” he said.
BJP government is for the backward, says Narendra Modi
“Bastar is changing. In future, Bastar’s identity will be that of an economic hub. Connectivity will be to Hyderabad, Visakapatnam, Ahmedabad. New Bastar will be that of new hopes. The day is not far when the sun will rise from the west in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar,” Narendra Modi told the gathering in Chhattisgarh.
“This government is for the poor, the needy, the downtrodden, the backward and the tribals,” he added.
WATCH: Narendra Modi presents pair of slippers to a tribal woman under Charan-Paduka scheme
Narendra Modi talks on Ayushman Bharat scheme
“The first phase of Ayushman Bharat scheme has been started, in which efforts will be made to make major changes in primary health-related areas. In every major panchayat of the country, sub centers and primary health centers will be developed as a health and wellness center in about 1.5 lakh places,” Narendra Modi said.
India has a prime minister because of Ambedkar, says Narendra Modi
Hailing BR Ambedkar’s contribution for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “If there is a prime minister in India, it is because of Babasaheb’s contributions.”
He asserted that his government is committed to the dreams and aspirations of people from all sections of the society. “I have come here to remove the backward tag attached to Bijapur,” he said.
Narendra Modi addresses gathering in Bastar
“14 April is an important day for the 125 crore Indians,” Narendra Modi told the gathering in Bastar.
“Ambedkar was highly-educated. If he wanted, he could’ve lived a comfortable life. But he didn’t do so. He studied abroad, but he came back to India and gave his life to serve the poor,” Modi said.
Narendra Modi launches first ‘Ayushman Bharat’ wellness centre
Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bastar at the launch of the first wellness centre under ‘Ayushman Bharat’,
Modi also flagged off a train between Dalli Rajhara and Bhanupratappur and inaugurated a dialysis centre at the Bijapur hospital at an event in Bastar district.
Narendra Modi arrives in Bijapur
Dalit activists ‘cleanse’ Ambedkar’s statue after Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel garlands it in Mehsana
Dalit members ‘cleanse’ Ambedkar statue after tributes by Maneka, BJP leaders
Members of Dalit community “cleansed” BR Ambedkar’s statue in Vadodara soon after Union minister Maneka Gandhi and some BJP leaders paid floral tributes on his 127th birth anniversary, a Dalit leader said, claiming that their presence had “polluted” the atmosphere.
The members of the Dalit community — led by Thakor Solanki, general secretary of SC/ST the Employees Union of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda —started raising slogans against BJP leaders who arrived at the place. After Maneka and other leaders garlanded the statue around 9 am and left the venue, the members of the community washed it with milk and water, saying the BJP leaders’ presence had “polluted” the atmosphere.
PTI
Tension over Ambedkar statue in Punjab town
Tension prevailed in Phagwara town of Punjab’s Kapurthala district on Saturday following a late night clash between two groups over the installation of a Babasaheb BR Ambedkar statue.
The trouble arose on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti when one group tried to put up the statue at the Balmiki Chowk crossing which was opposed by the other group.
Shiv Sena leader Rajesh Palta was beaten up allegedly by Dalits in Phagwara, late on Friday, informed sources in the police said. Senior police personnel along with additional forces have been deployed in the industrial town following the clash.
IANS
Amit Shah pays tribute to BR Ambedkar in New Delhi
Narendra Modi to launch wellness centre under Ayushman Bharat in Jangla village
Visual from Jangla village in Bijapur district
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Bijapur in Chhatisgarh to open the first health centre under Ayushman Bharat scheme today.
Image procured by: Firstpost Hindi/Amitesh
Mayawati hits out at Narendra Modi over development of Dalit community
“I want to tell Narendra Modi and his government that commemorating places related to Babasaheb Ambedkar’s life and inaugurating schemes in his name will in no way lead to development of Dalits,” ANI quoted Mayawati as saying.