Ambedkar was leader of all sections of society: Shinde

Architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar was not just a representative of Dalits but a leader of all sections of the society, senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde said today.
Paying tributes to the social reformer on his 124th birth anniversary at his birth place of Mhow, about 25 kms off district headquarters, Shinde said, "It is not right to say that Ambedkar was only the leader of Dalits. He was the architect of Indian Constitution and leader of all sections of the society."
The former Union minister also apprised the reporters during the event that to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar in 2016, the Congress party will organise various functions over the next one year.

To a query on BJP's allegations that Congress treated Dalits as vote bank and overlooked the communities' interests, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said, "the Congress works for Dalits as well as all sections of the society."
On the sabbatical of Rahul Gandhi, he said that senior party leader A K Antony has already informed that the Congress vice president will take part in the farmers' rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on April 19 and wondered why there was so much focus on his "leave" even when party president was active.
"If our vice president is on leave, our party president Sonia Gandhi is active. When vice presidents of other parties go on leave, we don't raise questions. So many queries regarding our vice president reflect wrong intentions," the senior Congress leader said.

The former Union home minister further said the Narendra Modi government has failed to check the incursion on Indian borders alongside Pakistan and China.
Taking a jibe at the Central government, he said, "Modi made many promises to the people of the country before the last Lok Sabha elections that they have been left in a 'bhul bhulaiyya' (labyrinth). Now, Modi is going on foreign tours without fulfilling his promises."
Shinde said a comparison should be drawn between the number of foreign tours of Modi and the ones undertaken by his predecessor, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.