On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, intensified his criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the ruling party of undermining the principles established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Constitution of India. In response, the BJP plans to contest Gandhi’s influence in his constituency of Raebareli.
In honor of Ambedkar’s upcoming birth anniversary, Pankaj Chaudhary, the state president of the BJP, is scheduled to unveil a statue of Ambedkar on Monday in the Bachhrawan Assembly segment, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes within the Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency. The event is being coordinated by former MLA Ram Lal Akela, who switched from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to the BJP before the 2022 Assembly elections.
Later that evening, Chaudhary will lead a ceremonial lighting of 11,000 earthen lamps at the Ambedkar statue located in Lucknow’s Hazratganj area, commemorating the legacy of the prominent Dalit leader.
As political parties gear up for the celebrations on April 14, which marks Ambedkar’s birthday, both the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are organizing events across various districts to pay homage to him, aiming to attract Dalit voters.
Earlier in the day, during the launch of the ‘Run for Ambedkar, Run for the Constitution’ marathon in New Delhi, Gandhi criticized the BJP, asserting that Dr. Ambedkar’s teachings are synonymous with the essence of the Constitution. He emphasized that without the Constitution, the nation would not exist in its current form.
Gandhi further claimed that individuals associated with the ideologies of the RSS and BJP seek to dismantle Ambedkar’s vision and the Constitution itself. He stated, “No matter what they profess or undertake, their ultimate goal is to eradicate the Constitution.” He expressed concern that they do not advocate for equality among all citizens in India.
The Congress leader remarked, “Even as they pay homage to Dr. Ambedkar’s statue, their real objective remains unchanged – to undermine the Constitution.” He reinforced the Congress’s commitment to uphold and advance the Constitution’s values and messages.
The marathon organized by the Congress’s Scheduled Caste department featured Gandhi in a blue T-shirt and scarf emblazoned with the slogan “Jai Bhim, Jai Bharat.”
In the context of the last five Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, both the BJP and Congress have secured victories in the Bachhrawan seat once, while the SP has won three times—in 2002, 2012, and 2022. The BJP claimed the seat in 2017, while Congress emerged victorious in 2007.
Lalmani is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi, where he covers the political landscape of the Hindi Heartland, focusing on the BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD, and other regional parties in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. He has reported on the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019, and 2024, as well as the Assembly elections of 2012, 2017, and 2022 in Uttar Pradesh, alongside government affairs in the region.
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