Cong committed to protection of constitutional values: Kharge on Ambedkar's birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): On B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary, the Congress on Monday reiterated its commitment to his idea of social justice and said that it takes an "oath" to always remain committed to the protection of constitutional values and democracy.
Ambedkar is recognised for his lifelong struggle for the empowerment of Scheduled Castes and his key role in drafting the Constitution.
Born in a Dalit family in 1891, he was a brilliant student who went on to study in foreign countries. The discrimination he suffered in Indian society turned him into a committed social reformer. He was India's first law minister. He died in 1956.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar gave the people of the country the Constitution of India based on the democratic values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, which is the most powerful tool for social justice and inclusive development."
Ambedkar described inclusiveness as his ultimate duty for the progress and unity of the country and strongly emphasised protecting the rights of all, Kharge said.
"On his 135th birth anniversary, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to his ideas of social change and social justice. The Congress party takes an oath that we will always remain committed to the protection of constitutional values and the protection of democracy," he said.
Paying tributes to Ambedkar, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said his struggle and contribution to strengthening the country's democracy and ensuring equal rights for every Indian "will always guide us in the fight to protect the Constitution".
"Tributes to Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, on his birth anniversary," Gandhi said on X.
"His contribution to and struggle for strengthening the country's democracy, for equal rights of every Indian and for the participation of every section will always guide us in the fight to protect the Constitution," the former Congress president said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tributes to Ambedkar and called on people to pledge to protect the Constitution and its values under all circumstances.
"Tributes to the architect of the Constitution, the country's first law minister, Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar ji on his birth anniversary. Due to the tireless efforts of Babasaheb, we got our Constitution which guarantees social justice, equality, fraternity and human rights for every Indian," she said.
"Our Constitution is the protective shield of every Indian and today attempts are being made to break this protective shield. The Constitution is being weakened by the power of the government," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Come, let us pledge that we will protect Babasaheb's Constitution and its values under all circumstances," she said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also paid tributes to Ambedkar and said the Congress is dedicated to fulfilling his dream and bringing social justice to all deprived sections of society.
"I bow to the great reformer, the architect of our Constitution, Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar on the occasion of his birth anniversary. In an era of deep social divisions, in the shadows of millennia of brutal discrimination, he mustered the courage to fight injustices and give a bold, progressive and egalitarian vision," Venugopal said on X.
His role in shaping the Constitution cannot be forgotten today, at a time when the forces in power are "hell bent on subverting it", he said.
"But it is to his credit that despite their nefarious intentions, not only has the Constitution stood the test of time but its moral weight has forced even those who oppose it to bow before it," he added.
"As we have stated in our Nyay Path declaration, we are dedicated to fulfilling his dream and bringing social justice to all deprived sections of our society. Jai Bhim!" Venugopal said.
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Rupee strengthens past 90/USD level in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.
Forex traders said the gain in the USD/INR pair follows the rupee’s string of record lows in recent weeks on likely intervention from the Reserve Bank of India.
Moreover, crude oil prices hovering around USD 59 per barrel level supported market sentiment.
ALSO READ:Rupee trades in narrow range against US dollar in early trade
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.19 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 89.96 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 24 paise over its previous close.
In initial trade it also touched 90.22 against the American currency. On Thursday, the rupee appreciated 18 paise against the US dollar to close at 90.20 against the greenback.
The rupee sank to a fresh record low, breaching the 91-a-dollar mark for the first time on Tuesday.
"Since the speculators are out of the market the buying of US dollar syndrome has come down a bit though intra-day we could see spikes," said Anil Kumar Bhansali Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
The US CPI came lower than expected but was also due to non-collection of sufficient data and therefore, the next month’s CPI becomes more important, Bhansali said, adding that "Rupee remains in a range of 90-90.50".
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 98.46.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 0.27 per cent at USD 59.66 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex climbed 375.98 points to 84,857.79, while the Nifty was up 110.60 points to 25,934.15.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 595.78 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Thursday said he is not concerned about the rupee at all, arguing that even China and Japan witnessed exchange rate weaknesses during their high growth phases.
Speaking at 'Times Network's India Economic Conclave 2025', Sanyal said since the 90s, the rupee has mostly been allowed to find its own level, but the RBI uses its reserves to intervene in either direction to stop excessive volatility.
"I am not concerned about the rupee at all... Let me say that the rupee and its current weakness should not be necessarily conflated with some economic worry, because historically, if you go over time, you will see that economies that are in their high growth phase very often go through a phase of exchange rate weakness," he said.
