Mayawati: Casteist forces weakened Ambedkar’s Constitution

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday said “elements with a casteist mindset” were responsible for weakening the Constitution framed by BR Ambedkar and stressed the need to assess how far security, dignity and development promised to the Bahujan Samaj had been realised over the years.Paying tributes to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary at the party office, she said: “The Constitution framed by Babasaheb is extremely humanitarian, which takes care of everybody’s interests and is meant for the welfare of the bahujans, including SCs, STs, backwards and religious minorities. It is because of the dominance of ‘elements with feudalistic and casteist mindset’ in power and governance for long that the Constitution of Babasaheb, with its pure objectives, has not been implemented in letter and spirit in the country.”Emphasising the relevance of a BSP govt, Mayawati said it was the only party that truly followed Ambedkar’s ideals and the principle of sarvajan hitaay, sarvajan sukhaay.She also questioned that, despite having such an incomparable Constitution, why was India not becoming self-reliant and a developed nation, and giving crores of ‘bahujan’ families freedom from poverty, unemployment, caste-driven hatred and sense of helplessness, and a life full of equality and justice?“It is only while finding answers to it that the movement initiated by ‘Babasaheb’ for social change and economic freedom will gain electoral advantage and realise its goal,” she said.At a time when every other political party in UP commemorated the legacy of BR Ambedkar on the day, Mayawati reminded people from the ‘bahujan’ communities of how govt of various opposition parties at the Centre had shown disrespect to ‘Babasaheb’ by denying him Bharat Ratna for long.She claimed it was due to her political rise and sustained struggle that the VP Singh-led coalition govt eventually honoured Ambedkar and implemented 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes in education and govt jobs based on Mandal Commission recommendations.Meanwhile, party workers from all over the state gathered at the Ambedkar memorial in Lucknow to pay their tributes to the Dalit visionary and architect of the Indian Constitution. Similar programmes were held by the party in other states as well.