BJP's Ambedkar's pitch: Party president Shah claims only they imbibed his vision

Haridwar: Accusing Congress and other political rivals of indulging in politics in the name of B R Ambedkar, BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday claimed that Modi government alone has truly imbibed the Dalit icon’s inclusive vision by taking development to people on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Noting that the contribution of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Ambedkar was the biggest in building integrated India post Independence, he said if one facilitated the merger of over 350 princely states with India, the other gave the country a beautiful Constitution which envisioned equal development of all sections, communities and regions. Charging political adversaries with only using the name of Ambedkar to serve their political interests and doing nothing to promote his vision, Shah especially targeted Congress, saying it did nothing to develop places associated with the great leader’s life and times despite being in power at the Centre for nearly 50 years. He said it was during the previous BJP government at the Centre that Ambedkar was conferred with the much-deserved Bharat Ratna and it was during Modi’s regime that his memorial was built at his birthplace in Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. [caption id=“attachment_2730080” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Amit Shah. PTI[/caption] “Narendra Modi government alone truly imbibed Baba Saheb’s inclusive vision of growth reflected in the Constitution. “Like him, we (BJP) also believe that development, in the real sense of the word, cannot be brought about until we take development to people on the lowest rung of the social hierarchy,” Shah told a public gathering at a programme organised here to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar. He said by conducting a country-wide drive titled ‘Gram Udaya-Bharat Udaya’ from 14 -24 April, the BJP will create awareness among people all over the country about the Centre’s schemes meant for Dalits. “The BJP’s emphasis on rural development, connectivity and empowerment of the impoverished sections reflects its commitment to implement Ambedkar’s vision which is basically about bringing forward the poor and the downtrodden and helping them join the mainstream of development. “This is the reason why Rs 80 lakh has been given to each village for construction of roads under PMGSY. This is the reason why Modi government is paying so much attention to taking electricity to every village. As many as 15,000 villages across the country were without electricity even decades after the independence. “Modi government was the first to view the problem with as much seriousness as it deserved and the rsult is that 5,500 villages out of those 15,000 have already been connected with electricity and the rest will also get electricity by May 2018.”