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Parties opposed Ambedkar by opposing CAA: JP Nadda
BJP president JP Nadda said that several parties did politics on caste-based issues and also talked about Dalits, OBCs and the poor but did not do anything to uplift these communities, whereas the BJP was empowering them fulfilling Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s vision
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said on Saturday that political parties other than the BJP only paid lip service to the scheduled castes (SC), other backward castes (OBC), and the poor in the country while using them as vote bank, but the BJP worked for their empowerment by ensuring they receive the benefits of various welfare schemes.Uttar Pradesh is going to polls early next year and Nadda was addressing the opening session of the national executive of the BJP’s SC Morcha or front in Kashi virtually.
“Social justice is not merely a word but a commitment for us. Ensuring equality and social justice to poor, tribals, scheduled castes and OBCs was the dream of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Our government is working tirelessly to fulfil his dream,” Nadda said.
Nadda said that by following the path shown by Ambedkar, the government was ensuring all round development and extending benefits of various schemes to all classes of society.
Calling politics of caste-based identities a big hurdle in development, he said the BJP was the only party which has never accepted caste discrimination.
“Several parties did politics on caste-based issues and also talked about Dalits, OBCs and the poor. But it is disappointing that they did not do anything to uplift these communities,” the BJP president said, and added that “the BJP was ensuring all round development of Dalits, poor and OBCs following the philosophy of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (development for all with everyone’s support)”.
He said the BJP government was working to ensure equal opportunities to these communities and several schemes had been started for their empowerment. “Ensuring benefit of development to every poor Dalit is priority of our government,” he said.
Nadda said no Prime Minister before PM Narendra Modi had paid tribute to Dr Ambedkar at his birthplace in Mhow, and for the first time, at the initiative of PM Narendra Modi, Dr Ambedkar’s 125th anniversary was celebrated at the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
Speaking on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Nadda said, “Ambedkar wanted the Dalits left in Pakistan at the time of partition to be brought back to India. Hindus, most of them Dalits living in Pakistan, were oppressed. But the Congress governments didn’t take any step for their rehabilitation. When the PM Modi-led BJP government brought CAA to fulfil Ambedkar’s desire (to bring them back by giving them citizenship under CAA), the Opposition parties opposed it. By doing so, they opposed Baba Saheb.”
He said what couldn’t be done in 70 years after the independence, the Modi government had done in the last seven years.
