Will establish measures to protect Ambedkar statues: UP CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday paid tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar on his death anniversary and said that the "government will now establish a system to protect Baba Saheb statues" from miscreants' malicious attempts to damage them.

CM Yogi announced a series of measures to protect Ambedkar statues and strengthen welfare initiatives for marginalised communities.

Speaking at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha office complex in Hazratganj, CM Yogi said, "Today, our government is taking another important decision. Wherever statues of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar are installed in Uttar Pradesh, miscreants frequently come and tamper with them, making malicious attempts to damage them. Our government will now establish a system to protect these statues. This will include building a boundary wall and, where the statue lacks a roof, installing a canopy over it. These measures will ensure the safe and respectful protection of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's statues. Additionally, we will complete the program to equip every slum, Dalit settlement, Scheduled Caste settlement, and tribal settlement with proper connectivity."

Launching a scathing attack on a senior Congress leader, serving as Congress President, who refused to sing 'Vande Mataram' in 1923, Yogi asserted that parties advocating for appeasement policies are "not only damaging India but also insulting Baba Saheb".

"We feel proud of our Constitution. We feel proud of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Even then, he warned us about all those dangers... In 1923, a senior Congress leader, serving as Congress President, refused to sing 'Vande Mataram.' As he faced his final moments, he expressed a desire to die in Jerusalem. Baba Saheb remarked that someone who, despite being born in India and enjoying its benefits, does not regard Indian soil as sacred cannot truly serve the interests of Indians. Sadly, parties advocating for appeasement policies are not only damaging India but also insulting Baba Saheb Ambedkar and engaging in a disgraceful effort to strip citizens of their rights. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the new India feels proud of its great men and honours them," CM Yogi said.

CM Yogi also announced measures to improve livelihoods for government and sanitation workers, adding that the "double-engine government is working to provide them with all kinds of facilities".

"A corporation has been established, and within the next 1-2 months, the government will guarantee a minimum honorarium for all Class IV employees, sanitation workers, and contract workers. Our 'Zero Poverty' campaign is also part of this. We are nearing completion in identifying all the marginalised groups - Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Most Backward Classes - who remain deprived and have yet to access these services' benefits. This double-engine government is working to provide them with all kinds of facilities and will continue to advance that campaign," he added.

Emphasising inclusive development, the Chief Minister said that PM Modi, with the spirit of everyone's support and development, ensured that the benefits of schemes, without discrimination, reached every poor.

He said, "It is our good fortune that, inspired by the teachings of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, such campaigns are underway across the country today under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When Baba Saheb drafted the Constitution of India, fulfilling his responsibility as its architect, he included three important words in its preamble: Justice, equality, and fraternity. If we examine these three words, PM Modi, with the spirit of everyone's support and development, ensured that the benefits of schemes, without discrimination, reached every poor, deprived, Dalit, backwards, woman, and youth. This is part of the same ideals of equality, justice, and fraternity that Baba Saheb presented to the people of India in the preamble to the Constitution."

Earlier today, the commemoration of the 70th Mahaparinirvan Diwas began with a floral tribute from President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan, PM Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Parliamentarians, and many other dignitaries who attended the VIP session in the early hours of the day at Parliament.

Dr Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and a pioneering advocate of social empowerment, passed away on December 6, 1956. Mahaparinirvan Diwas is observed annually to commemorate his contributions to nation-building, social justice and empowerment of marginalised communities.