Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar endured hardship and humiliation to break social barriers and earn respect for the entire country and it was because of him that every citizen got the right to vote, he added.
Addressing a seminar held at Gorakhpur Club as part of Dr Ambedkar Samman Abhiyan, the CM said, “Many leading countries with developed and modern democracies granted voting rights to black people and women much later, but India, with the formation of its Constitution, gave the right to vote to SC/ST, backward classes and women in the very first general election of 1952. This was made possible through Baba Saheb. The credit for binding the country in the thread of unity goes to Baba Saheb.”
He said that Dr Ambedkar worked tirelessly to draft the Constitution, but he was agitated when the Congress began making repeated amendments to it. “Despite Congress trying to stop him from entering the Constituent Assembly, Baba Saheb’s popularity and commitment to the nation ensured he became a member. He was later made chairman of the Drafting Committee, though even that appointment was opposed by some, including Pandit Nehru,” he said.
Yogi said, “There were conspiracies to stop him, but through his intelligence and hard work, he gave India a Constitution that made us the world’s largest democracy.”
He highlighted that Dr Ambedkar’s contribution ensured SC/ST students received full scholarships, reservations in jobs and social dignity through inclusion in the mainstream. “This is the gift of Baba Saheb,” he said.
The CM accused Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) of creating division and unrest in society. He said that in 1952, Congress prevented Dr Ambedkar from winning elections and even awarded the opponent who defeated him with a Padma honour. “In 1954, Congress fielded his own personal assistant against him in a by-election, which led to his defeat again. He only entered Parliament when a Hindu Mahasabha MP vacated the Pune seat,” he said.
He said that Congress was afraid of Dr Ambedkar’s dedication, wisdom and his strong support for SC/STs and national unity. “Rahul Gandhi now carries a copy of the Constitution, but it’s ironic because these are the same people who disrespected Dr Ambedkar in the past,” he said.
Yogi recalled how Congress withdrew support from the then Prime Minister Chandrashekhar when he tried to name a government building after Dr Ambedkar. “It was former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee who completed the work and PM Modi who built the memorial in his honour,” he said.
He said that Baba Saheb achieved in 65 years what others couldn’t in centuries. He criticised the Congress for never building a single memorial for him despite being in power during multiple terms. “In contrast, the BJP created five significant memorials (Panch Teerth) dedicated to Dr Ambedkar. November 26 has been celebrated as Constitution Day since 2015,” he said.
The CM said that while many may raise popular slogans in Dr Ambedkar’s name, only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) truly follows his values and ideals. He recalled that Baba Saheb had urged his followers to ‘get educated, stay united and resist injustice’.
He cited an example from history when Dr Ambedkar wrote letters to Hindus and SC communities during the atrocities committed by the Nizam of Hyderabad. “In his letters, Baba Saheb advised people not to convert to Islam under pressure and instead move to Maharashtra if needed, but never bow to the Nizam,” he said.
Yogi said, “When villages were being burnt down by the Nizam and his Razakars, Baba Saheb stood with the people. It was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who ultimately freed Hyderabad and restored citizens’ dignity.”
Speaking about his own experience, he shared that during his time as an MP, he visited Kushinagar after hearing reports of starvation deaths among the Musahar community. “At that time, the SP was in power in UP. I found that the ration cards meant for Musahars were held by SP officials and they were taking the rations in the names of the poor while the actual families starved,” he said.
The CM said that today, under the BJP-led double-engine government, every Musahar, Tharu, Vantangiya, Chero and Kol family in the state has land, a home, a ration card and an Ayushman Bharat health card. He said the state is moving steadily toward the goal of zero poverty and that efforts are being made to saturate welfare schemes so that no eligible person is left out.
He said, “Before 2017 in UP and before 2014 in other states, ration never reached the poor because those in power lacked the will to serve. Encephalitis deaths, which mostly affected SC, ST and minority children, went unchecked under past governments.”
Yogi said, “While I stood alone with the BJP in fighting this crisis, SP and Congress never stood with the people in their pain. Encephalitis is no longer a threat thanks to the collective efforts under BJP rule.”
He recalled how in 2012, soon after coming to power, the then SP government announced plans to demolish memorials built in Lucknow in the names of icons like Dr Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule and Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj. “We opposed it and said if you try to break them, we’ll resist, because these great personalities led the movement for social justice and gave voice to the voiceless,” he said.
Accusing SP of deliberately erasing Ambedkar’s legacy, the CM said that they removed his name from the Kannauj Medical College and renamed a proposed university in Lucknow from Kanshi Ram to one focused on Urdu, Persian and Arabic. “Our government restored these names because we honor these leaders not for votes, but for their values,” he said.
