HYDERABAD: On the occasion of his 128th birth anniversary, denizens across the State paid homage to Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of Indian Constitution and a crusader of the Dalits, on Sunday. Hyderabad, however, chose to observe the day in a different light. A day after an Ambedkar statue at Punjagutta was taken down, a new one was installed in Basheerbagh. Many stalwarts, including officials and ministers, gathered to pay homage at the Ambedkar statue in Tank Bund.
“It is a proud day for us, and we wanted to celebrate it by installing a new Ambedkar’s statue,” said Sairam, the head of Ambedkar Dalit Sangam. The organisation crowdfunded to erect a 9-feet-tall Ambedkar statue in Basheerbagh near the Sky land theatre. Speaking to Express, Sairam said, “We collected around `86,000 from the Dalit Samaj in Basheerbagh. Permission was also taken to get the statue installed.”
Meanwhile, while addressing the audience at Tank Bund, TRS leader and Minister for Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav recalled Ambedkar’s contributions towards the Indian Constitution. Talasani said that Ambedkar had recognized the difference between India and other countries and accordingly prepared plans for shaping the future of the country.
Leaders from almost all political parties joined the celebrations. TSRTC also celebrated Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.