PM Modi leads BJP's drive as party commemorates Ambedkar's birth anniversary nationwide

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday led the BJP's nationwide charge on its political rivals and the ruling party's push to be identified closely with Bhim Rao Ambedkar on the birth anniversary of the iconic figure, especially among Dalits.

Amid the political heat over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Modi sought to put the Congress and its allies opposed to the law in a corner, accusing them of destroying the Constitution by enacting a Waqf law, now amended, in 2013 above the constitutional values espoused by Ambedkar.

While the prime minister travelled to Haryana to launch several development projects as he championed his government's commitment to Ambedkar's ideals, his party colleagues across the country spearheaded a fresh drive to commemorate the Constitution's architect with a particular focus on Dalits, who are an important voting bloc across the country and revere him.

BJP president J P Nadda went to Ambedkar's memorial in Alipur in the national capital, where he had breathed his last in 1956, to pay homage while party leaders organised commemorative events in their offices across the country and outside to mark the day.

Several BJP leaders at its headquarters also read out the Constitution's preamble to stress their commitment to its values.

In the run-up to his 134th birth anniversary, the BJP had organised a workshop attended by its leaders from across the country at its headquarters in Delhi to finalise its programme to celebrate him.

Party leaders and its different state units launched the drive, 'Ambedkar Samman Abhiyan', to highlight how its governments at the Centre and in states have kept the deprived sections of society central to its welfare programmes in line with the vision of Ambedkar.

With the Waqf (Amendment) Act emerging as a fresh flashpoint among political rivals, Modi said in his public meetings in Haryana that the Congress-led government in 2013 amended the Waqf law hurriedly so that it could get votes in elections.

He said, "They made this law above the Constitution, which was the biggest insult to Babasaheb." The amendments brought by his government, the prime minister said, will ensure the rights of the poor and pasmanda (backward Muslims) households besides women, especially widows, among the minority community.

"This is the work given to us by Babasaheb in the spirit of the Constitution. This is real social justice," he said, claiming that the earlier law was used by the land mafia to grab properties of Dalits, backwards and tribals.

Muslim youngsters would not have been forced to make a living by repairing punctures if the lakhs of hectares of Waqf land were utilised honestly, he said, asserting that it provided no benefits to poor and backward Muslims.

He accused the Congress of turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into "second-class citizens" while in power.

Addressing a gathering after flagging off the first commercial flight from the Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar to Ayodhya and laying the foundation stone of a new terminal building at the airport, he alleged the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by Ambedkar.

The Congress "crushed" the Constitution whenever its government faced danger, Modi alleged and pointed to the 1975-77 Emergency to reinforce his claim.

"The spirit of the Constitution is to have a Uniform Civil Code, which I call a secular civil code. But the Congress never implemented it," he said.

Modi said his government's work to develop new industries is in line with Ambedkar's vision as he believed that industrialisation would benefit the deprived sections who do not have much land.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lauded Ambedkar as a true Bharat Ratna and a living school of democracy.

"His struggle to establish an egalitarian and justice-loving society will continue to inspire all of us for eternity," he said.

At a programme, he said his government has worked to ensure law and order and to boost development and welfare, as he accused rivals of being involved in rampant corruption and nepotism.

Home Minister Amit Shah lauded Ambedkar, saying he laid the foundation of social transformation based on education, equality and justice, and remained committed to the rights of the deprived sections of society throughout his life.

Following the setback it received in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when it lost a majority on its own largely due to the loss of votes from the poorer sections of society, including Dalits, in some states, the BJP has ratcheted up its outreach to them.

It had also organised 'Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan' in January this year amid the opposition's campaign to paint it as a party working to weaken constitutional values.