Ambedkar

Ambedkar, Constitution subjected to 'ferocious assault' by RSS: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday recalled that BR Ambedkar had moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly 76 years ago for the formal adoption of the draft Constitution and claimed that Ambedkar as well as the Constitution were then subject to a "ferocious assault" by the RSS which has continued since. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also recalled that in his closing speech before moving the resolution, Ambedkar had hailed the role of the Congress in drafting the Constitution. Today, exactly 76 years ago, Dr. Ambedkar moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly for the formal adoption of the Draft Constitution of India, he said. "Ambedkar's closing speech on that occasion is undoubtedly one of the greatest ever made by anybody anywhere in the 20th century," Ramesh said on X. "During the initial part of his speech, Dr. Ambedkar had said this: 'The task of the Drafting Committee would have been a very difficult one if this Constituent Assembly had

Sense and caste census: Ambedkar's vision and the risk of reversal

The near-unanimous support for the idea from political parties is the result of differing calculations

A history of exclusion: Rewatching Jabbar Patel's 'Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar'

The controversy over 'Phule', the recent biopic of Jyotirao and Savitribhai Phule, raises concerns over film censorship in India

Civil service for Viksit Bharat in the vision of Sardar Patel and Ambedkar

BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, also envisioned an independent civil service as a cornerstone of a democratic and efficient governance system in India

How EC was formed after Ambedkar's amendment in Constituent Assembly

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, considered the key architect of the Indian Constitution, is also credited with the creation of the Election Commission. An amendment brought by him in the Constituent Assembly led to the establishment of the Election Commission, an independent body mandated to hold elections to the office of President and Vice President, and Lok Sabha, state assembly, Rajya Sabha and state legislative council polls. Certain provisions of the Constitution, including the one related to the EC, came into force immediately after it was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The rest of the provisions came into force on January 26, 1950. The EC came into being on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a Republic. Before Ambedkar brought the amendment, draft Article 289 proposed separate election commissions for the Centre and the states, scholarly articles and Constituent Assembly debates suggest. But Ambedkar proposed a more centralised body to be headed

Ambedkar favoured smaller states, proposed division of Bihar, MP, UP

B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, believed that large states posed serious challenges to governance and democratic accountability while smaller states are more manageable and can ensure equitable development. In his 1955 book "Thoughts on Linguistic States", he strongly advocated the division of big provinces like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, saying that "the present provinces are too large and not administrable". Ambedkar supported the creation of states on linguistic lines but was deeply concerned about the formation of excessively large units. "The idea of having bigger linguistic states is not a democratic idea at all. It is a clear departure from the fundamentals of democracy. It is an idea wholly incompatible with the idea of democracy, he wrote. He suggested that states should be divided not only for administrative efficiency but also to ensure that no region or group felt marginalised. "Bihar should be divided into two states. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh

Highlights: 9 held after stone-pelting during Hanuman Jayanti procession in MP's Guna

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Developed, inclusive Bharat will be true tribute to Ambedkar: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that building a "developed and inclusive Bharat" will be the true tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. During his visit to Nagpur on Monday, PM Modi paid tributes at Deekshabhoomi, where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his followers in 1956. He went inside the stupa at the Deekshabhoomi and paid homage to Ambedkar's 'asthi' (mortal remains) kept there. In his message penned in Hindi in the visitors' diary at the venue, Modi said, "I am overwhelmed that I got an opportunity to visit Deekshabhoomi, one of the five 'Panchthirth' of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, in Nagpur. One can feels Babasaheb's principles of social harmony, equality and justice in this holy atmosphere here." He further said that Deekshabhoomi energises people to move ahead with a system of equal rights and justice for the poor, less privileged and the needy. "I have full faith that in this Amrit Kaalkhand, we will take the country to

Rahul Gandhi calls merit a flawed upper-caste idea, backs caste census

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the merit-based system in India, arguing that it does not take historical disadvantages faced by marginalised communities into account

Congress holds candlelight marches in Delhi over Ambedkar statue vandalism

The Congress held candlelight marches in all 70 constituencies of Delhi on Monday against the alleged vandalism of a statue of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in Punjab's Amritsar. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav led a march in Jahangirpuri. He said, "Such incidents are taking place wherever the BJP and the AAP are in power." He said the way Dalits and backwards are being treated in the country today is very condemnable. When the whole nation was celebrating the Republic Day on Sunday and everyone was paying homage to Babasaheb, a person tried to destroy his statue in Amritsar, the Delhi Congress chief stated. Yadav alleged the vandalism was yet another instance of a complete breakdown of law and order in Punjab under the AAP government as anti-social elements and criminals were calling the shots. The AAP government in Punjab has turned out to be an abject failure not only in maintaining law and order, but in every other aspect of governance, Yadav further alleged. The Congres

Congress shameless party, using Ambedkar for political gains: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday termed the Congress as a "shameless" party which is using Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's name for "political gains" only. He claimed that Congress had launched innumerable schemes and established many institutions in the name of leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru's family, but there was no such establishment after Ambedkar. "Congress does not have any shame. The party which imposed emergency, suspended the Constitution, killed democracy, that Congress is doing processions in the name of the Constitution, and it shows that they don't have any shame. It will not be an exaggeration if they are termed as shameless," Sarma told reporters here. He said that the Congress rolled out Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana, launched many schemes in the name of Rajiv Gandhi and named many big universities in the country after Jawaharlal Nehru. "...but have you dedicated even one scheme in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar? Forget university, but have you even named a

Cong CWC meet in Belagavi to plan 2025 strategy, address Ambedkar issue

The Congress will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Belgaum session of the party that was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi with an extended session of the CWC which will decide on an action plan for the next year. The opposition party asserted that the "insult" to B R Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah will be strongly taken up at Belagavi and deliberated upon. Addressing a joint press conference along with Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal and AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on December 26 has been named 'Nav Satyagraha Baithak'. He said two resolutions will be passed at the meeting. The Congress has been marking Ambedkar Samman Saptah against the "insult" of B R Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah, Ramesh said. He said there is only one solution that the home minister be sacked and must apologise for his ...

Bandh observed in K'taka's Kalaburagi over Shah's statement on Ambedkar

Protesters in Kalaburagi took to streets on Tuesday following a bandh call given by Dalit organisations to condemn the recent statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on B R Ambedkar in the Parliament. Adequate security arrangements have been put in place by the police to avoid any untoward incidents. According to police, the city is completely shut with no traffic movement as buses, auto rickshaws and taxis are not operating and shops are also shut following the bandh call given by various Dalit organisations. "A bandh is being observed in Kalaburagi after a call for the same was given by various Dalit organisations condemning the statement of union home minister on Ambedkar. We have deployed police forces in large numbers. Adequate security measures are in place to avoid any untoward incident," a senior police officer said. "Situation remains peaceful and everything is under control," he said. Protesters took to the streets and are burning tyres at the city bus stand, SVP Circ

Kejriwal launches Dr Ambedkar scholarship amid row over Amit Shah's remarks

Amid controversy over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Ambedkar, Kejriwal launches Dr Ambedkar Samman Scholarship, pledging support for Dalit students pursuing studies abroad

Mayawati calls for nationwide protest on Dec 24 over Shah's Ambedkar remark

In a series of posts on X, Mayawati said that Shah's remarks have hurt the hearts of the people

Surjewala moves adjournment motion to discuss Shah's Ambedkar remarks

Surjewala said that Amit Shah's remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar reflect a deep-rooted mindset against the deprived and downtrodden communities of India

Cong twisted facts, distorted my statements on Ambedkar, says Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Congress of twisting facts and distorting his comments in the Rajya Sabha related to B R Ambedkar after BJP leaders "exposed" the opposition party's repeated "insults" to the architect of the Constitution. Addressing a press conference here, Shah alleged that the Congress in the past has also misrepresented his and even PM Narendra Modi's comments to spread confusion and mislead people. "I condemn the Congress for twisting facts. Why did it happen? It happened because BJP leaders spoke on how the NDA governments upheld the Constitution and established with facts that the Congress is anti-Ambedkar, anti-Constitution and anti-reservation," Shah told reporters here. The senior BJP leader said the Congress also insulted V D Savarkar and blew to smithereens the values enshrined in the Constitution by imposing Emergency. "When all these facts came out, the Congress used its old tricks and made an effort to mislead the society by presenting

Amit Shah's remarks reflect BJP's old mentality, says Ambedkar's grandson

Babasaheb Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar alleged on Wednesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on the father of the Constitution reflected the BJP's "same old mentality". Several MPs of the INDIA bloc staged a protest in Parliament premises demanding Shah's apology for his remarks on B R Ambedkar which they claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar. The Congress also demanded that Shah apologise publicly and in Parliament. "Before the BJP came into existence, its forerunners Jan Sangh and RSS had opposed Babasaheb while the Constitution was being adopted," Prakash Ambedkar, who heads Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, told reporters in Pune. He said Shah's statement has brought the same old mentality of BJP to the fore. "There is nothing new in the statement. They are not able to execute their old plans. Not because of Congress, but because of Babasaheb Ambedkar and they will continue to sulk," said Prakash Ambedkar. Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam

Ambedkar row: Kharge takes 'Manusmriti' dig at Shah, demands resignation

Accusing Shah of disrespecting the architect of the Constitution, Kharge said the home minister should apologise to the nation for the insult he caused to Ambedkar during his speech in Rajya Sabha

Amit Shah's Ambedkar remark sparks chaos, Congress demands resignation

Congress protests Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar, demands his resignation, while BJP defends the Home Minister