NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday unveiled a statue of B R Ambedkar on the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) campus, calling the famous lawyer a “visionary leader” and one of the key makers of the Indian Constitution.
Birla called the installation of the statue of the Dalit icon a historic event. He praised IGNOU saying it has stood as a beacon of hope for students who are unable to go to a regular college. “Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was a visionary leader who made an invaluable contribution to framing the nation’s constitution.
The ideals of equality and justice which continually strengthens Indian democracy were closest to Babasaheb’s heart and serve as a guiding beacon not only for Indian governance but also form the cornerstone of several Constitutions in the world,” said Birla.
He said even though the challenges faced by the country at the dawn of Independence were immense, Ambedkar rose to the occasion with his unwavering support for the downtrodden and their education. “India was backwards not only economically and socially but had very low literacy levels as well.
Accurately gauging that education and social justice were paramount for the progress of the fledgling democracy, Babasaheb stressed their importance in the lives of the people,” he said.