LUCKNOW: Whenever there is a talk of the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden in the world, people remember Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday.
Adityanath was speaking at an event held to mark the 131st birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University here. "Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is respected across the country and abroad as the architect of our constitution. Whenever there is talk of the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden across the world, people remember Ambedkar," said Yogi.
Born in a Dalit family in Maharashtra in 1891, Ambedkar, a Bharat Ratna, was a jurist and economist who played an important role in India's freedom movement and became the country's first law minister. Ambedkar championed the cause of the Dalit community which faced deep-rooted discrimination.
He is regarded as a Dalit icon for his relentless work for social reforms and the empowerment of the disadvantaged sections of society.
Talking about the disparity and inequality in the society at the time of Ambedkar's birth, Yogi said, "Think of the times and social conditions that existed 131 years ago. A child must have faced discrimination while going to his school. But Babasaheb was a person who rose above this discrimination and laid down the Constitution for the country without ever hinting of the prejudice and inequality he faced."
He also talked about Pakistan's first law minister Jogendra Nath Mandal and said, "Both Babasaheb and Jogendra Nath Mondal worked for the upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden. Babasaheb always called himself an Indian. While he became the law minister of India, Jogendra Nath Mandal became the law minister of Pakistan. But just three years after independence, Mondal was forced to flee from Pakistan and take refuge in India."
"Today everyone and every democratic country in the world revere Babasaheb but no one knows about Mondal. This happened only because of his anti-India views," the CM said. Adityanath said all must thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving due respect to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.
"We have decided to build Babsabeh Bhimrao Ambedkar memorial and cultural centre in Lucknow. This centre will be a place for research on Babasaheb. The state government will provide scholarships to conduct research on him," he added.
Hitting out at the previous state government, the chief minister said, "In 2017, when we came to power we noticed that the government had stopped scholarships for students of scheduled castes and tribes. But after we came to power, we increased the limits of the scholarship. The central government expanded it further."
Stating that anything can be done if the entire society works together, the CM said, "Encephalitis was a major disease in eastern Uttar Pradesh. When I came to Lucknow, I combined nine departments and began work to eradicate encephalitis. About 50,000 children were killed in 40 years due to encephalitis. In the last five years, we have eradicated encephalitis with our efforts."
The CM said when 1.35 crore Indians will talk about something, the entire world will pay heed. "This is what Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted. There must be no place for inequality or harassment of the poor. The state government is doing everything to benefit the poor," he said.
Adityanath also urged scholars to reach out to society to share their theoretical knowledge and gain practical knowledge.