Law minister Meghwal slams Congress for not giving Ambedkar his due

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday slammed the opposition Congress for not giving B R Ambedkar his due and allegedly ensuring his defeat in the first Lok Sabha elections.

Addressing the media here, Meghwal credited Ambedkar with the creation of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the Finance Commission but lamented that the Congress "which talks of the Constitution, never gave Ambedkar the due he deserved.

He claimed the Congress made supporters of Ambedkar vote twice on ballot papers, making it invalid which led to his defeat.

He said Ambedkar wrote to the Election Commission about the way elections were held but the poll body did not act.

Meghwal said Ambedkar's representation to the poll panel was now available.

He said the Alipore Road residence of Ambedkar here was turned into a memorial by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "But the Congress did nothing," he claimed.

The minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the establishment of an international centre dedicated to Ambedkar at a cost of Rs 200 crore.

Meghwal also pointed out that the Modi government took a lot of steps to ensure growth of Schedule Caste entrepreneurs by setting up a venture fund.

"The Congress did little for social empowerment. But it was PM Modi who took steps," he said.