Nehru 'ill-treated' Ambedkar; SC/ST communities should be informed: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 (PTI): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday claimed that it was India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who "insulted" B R Ambedkar and even joined hands with the Left parties to defeat him in elections.
His remarks come in the wake of Congress' continuous accusations against the BJP of "disrespecting" Constitutional principles and "insulting" Ambedkar.
Joshi, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Food, and Consumer Affairs, urged local BJP workers to visit every street, with a special focus on the SC/ST communities, to inform them about the alleged ill-treatment of Ambedkar by Nehru.
Speaking at the Constitution Pride Day event in Thiruvananthapuram, a programme the BJP is organising nationwide to mark the 75th year of the Constitution, the Union Minister claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru never wanted Ambedkar in the government, and it was only due to the insistence of Mahatma Gandhi that he was included.
Joshi also claimed that Congress undermined the Constitution by declaring the Emergency during Indira Gandhi's rule and making several amendments that went against its spirit.
"The Congress in the country was always against the welfare of SC/ST communities in the country," he contended.
He urged BJP workers to go beyond conducting Constitution Pride Day seminars in big hotels and take to the streets to inform people about the alleged injustice Ambedkar faced at the hands of Nehru.
BJP state president K Surendran accused Kerala of being the only state in the country attempting to undermine the Constitution.
"The state consistently passes legislation opposing central laws and rejects every law enacted by Parliament. The Constitution does not grant such powers to the states," Surendran claimed.
He further alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government misuses powers not conferred by the Constitution and seeks to obstruct investigations conducted by national agencies.
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Population control policies, UCC require public cooperation: RSS chief
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said population control policies and the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code required public cooperation and long-term thinking, and asserted that caste-based politics would disappear only when society stopped identifying with caste divisions.
Addressing an interaction session after delivering a lecture on "Social Harmony as a Catalyst for National Development" at JSS Mahavidyapeetha here, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief also called for harmony among religions and communities. He urged people to practise equality in social life through conduct rather than slogans.
"Because society remembers caste, politicians take advantage of it. Their legitimate aim is to get votes. If they cannot get votes through work, they will get votes through caste," he said.
Replying to a question on the Population Control Bill and Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Bhagwat said the RSS was not the government but a social organisation and emphasised that laws could succeed only with public participation.
"People must first be educated. Policy is necessary, but policy can only succeed with public cooperation," he said.
Referring to population control measures during the Emergency period, Bhagwat said aggressive enforcement had led to public resentment and political backlash.
