Centre shouldn’t do ‘lip-service’ and drama in Ambedkar’s name : Kumari Selja

Taking a swipe at the prime minister, she said the Dalit community were the most affected by PM Modi-led government’s policies.

Senior Congress leader Kumari Selja on Friday said that the government only pretends to respect the former politician and social reformer, but doesn’t actually respect democracy or Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s values. She was speaking on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.

Senior Congress leader Kumar Selja (ANI Photo)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that they will celebrate Ambedkar’s birth anniversary in a big way by holding booth-level events on the occasion and directed all party cadres and leaders to be a part of the celebrations.

“We request the government to not do ‘lip service’ and drama when Baba Saheb’s values are at stake,” Selja said.

She said Ambedkar fought for democracy throughout his life, be it for social justice of our country or drafting the most important document of democratic India as the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, but today, India’s democracy is at risk, only buildings are being made in the name of running the Parliament.

“Is this what Babasaheb wanted for the country? Who is attacking the judiciary these days? Does the prime minister come to save the judges when his ministers attack the judiciary?” she asked.

Taking a swipe at the PM Modi, she said the Dalit community were the most affected by prime minister Modi-led government’s policies.

“The Dalit community is the most affected by the Narendra Modi government’s policies. The poorest 20% of the country have seen an income dip by 50% and for the lower middle class, it has dipped by 25% and the rich have gone richer by 40%,” she alleged.

She said that the central government also tries to hide the real data of the lower and middle class and alleged that the government is still not revealing the socio-economic census.

“The 2021 census was not done due to Covid. They know if they do, they will get in trouble. Atrocities against Dalits are rising and even the recent NCRB data is a tell-all of it. Why they are being still treated as second-class citizens?” the Congress leader said.

Selja further promised that the Congress party would do everything to uplift the reserved section of society by establishing the National Council of Social Justice and the “Rohith Vemula Act” for atrocities on reserved category students in educational institutions.