The Congress on Thursday paid tributes to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi describing Dr. Ambedkar as one who gave India its strongest pillar of strength, the Constitution.
“On the occasion of his 131st birth anniversary, my tributes to Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, who gave India its strongest pillar of strength - our sacred Constitution,” Mr. Gandhi said in a tweet.
Babasaheb Ambedkar remains a champion of equality, human rights and social justice, the Congress said on its official Twitter handle. “His life and actions have been a source of inspiration for crores all over the world. On his birth anniversary, we celebrate the legacy of the man who gave India her Constitution,” the official handle of the party said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said it was due to Dr. Ambedkar’s efforts that the country got a Constitution in whose preamble was the mantra for strengthening of the country. “Babasaheb gave the blueprint of nation-building based on the ideas of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, self-respect and unity and integrity of the country…these are our basic strengths,” Ms. Vadra said in a tweet.
The Congress leader said that various forces were attacking the values that had been acquired from history, by “weakening” the Constitution. “In honour of Babasaheb, we all have to stand firm and defend the Constitution and the values enshrined in it,” she said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K.C. Venugopal and party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala were among the senior leaders who paid rich tributes to India’s first Law Minister and Chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution.
Dr. Ambedkar was posthumously conferred Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1990.
