CHANDIGARH: Vijay Sampla, the former Union Minister said that Bharatiya Janata Party has conserved the legacy of the Father of Indian Constitution Baba Ambedkar by erecting series of his memorials across Delhi, London, Nagpur and Mumbai.
Addressing media persons here today, flanked by state media head Sh Vineet Joshi, Sh Sampla said that in Madhya Pradesh, during BJP Chief Minister Shri Sundarlal Patwa’s tenure, a memorial was constructed at Babasaheb’s birthplace, which was inaugurated by the late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Similarly, Former Prime Minister Shri Chandrashekhar had approved land for the Ambedkar Center in Delhi, but the Congress party prevented its construction. It was only when Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's government came to power that the Ambedkar Center was completed.
The Modi government also created a memorial in London where Babasaheb lived, established a memorial at his residence in Delhi and developed memorials at Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur and Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai, he added.
The former chairman National SC Commission Sh Sampla said that Congress party had taken no steps to honor Baba Saheb’s memory and only created obstacles. Meanwhile, across the country, hundreds of memorials, hospitals, and roads have been named after Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi.
He reminisced once watching a cartoon where a jungle safari was named after the Gandhi family. A child, noticing this, asked his father if anything in the country existed beyond the family. The father’s silence spoke volumes. This reflects a harsh truth, he said.
He said that Baba Saheb Ambedkar was not appointed Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution merely because he belonged to a Scheduled Caste but because he was the most educated and accomplished member of the Constituent Assembly.
Evoking historical facts Sh Sampla said that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wrote a letter to Edwina Mountbatten expressing his relief at Babasaheb Ambedkar no longer being in the Cabinet. A party with such a mindset and history now claiming to honor Babasaheb is utterly shameful. The Congress party must put an end to this hypocrisy.
He added that the way Pandit Nehru and other Congress leaders mistreated and insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar (with documented evidence to support it), the nation demands an unconditional apology from the Congress.
He said that the Congress is now trying to politicize a small excerpt from Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah's speech by presenting it out of context. However, the people of this nation are perceptive and see through such tactics. These attempts by the Congress are destined to fail.
Former state president BJP Punjab, Sh Sampla said that Baba Saheb was against the partition of the country and Article 370 and had also commented on the atrocities faced by Hindus in East Bengal.
He added that it was crucial to understand the difference in the ideologies of the BJP and the Congress. The BJP believes that anyone who has contributed sincerely to the country's progress should be honoured, while the Congress Party focuses solely on elevating one family.
He said that the BJP respects even its fiercest opponents, recognizing their efforts to contribute to the country's growth, while the Congress party seems to only prioritize one family.
Sh Sampla said that Rahul Gandhi carries the legacy of the Congress party’s disrespect towards Babasaheb, and he should put an end to this drama.