Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Apr 11: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, on Friday, came down heavily on the Congress, accusing the party of systematically disrespecting and sidelining Dr B R Ambedkar from pre-Independence days to the present. Speaking at the inauguration of the 'Bheem Hejje' centenary celebrations in Bengaluru, Joshi claimed that Congress had humiliated the architect of the Indian Constitution at every step, and is now only pretending to honour him for electoral gains.
He alleged that the Congress had even ceded constituencies like Jessore, Khulna, and Haridpur Hindu-majority areas where Ambedkar had mass support to Pakistan, as part of what he described as a malicious political conspiracy. Joshi also criticised the Congress for not commemorating the Bheem Hejje centenary, which marks Ambedkar's speech at a 1925 Hitakarini Sabha conference in Nippani, Belagavi district. According to him, this is yet another example of the party's disregard for Ambedkar’s legacy.
The union minister further claimed that Ambedkar faced political conspiracies when he tried to enter the Constituent Assembly, alleging that the Congress deliberately defeated him twice. It was only due to the efforts of Dalit leader Jogendranath Mandal that Ambedkar could eventually contest from Bengal. Even then, Joshi alleged, the Congress ensured those constituencies were handed over to Pakistan during partition, in an attempt to erase Ambedkar’s electoral presence.
Recalling the post-Independence years, Joshi said Ambedkar was defeated in the 1952 general elections from Mumbai North, where Congress fielded its close aide against him. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself campaigned to defeat Ambedkar, he added. Ambedkar lost again in the 1954 Bhandara by-election, after which, according to Joshi, the Congress awarded a Padma Bhushan to his rival Narayan Kajrolkar, while Ambedkar was denied the Bharat Ratna during his lifetime.
He alleged that Ambedkar’s final rites could not even be conducted in Delhi due to lack of space, forcing his followers to cremate him on a beach in Mumbai. Joshi said it was only the BJP-supported V P Singh government that finally honoured Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna in 1990, and that it was Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s firm stand that led to Ambedkar’s portrait being installed in Parliament.
Joshi also underlined Ambedkar’s academic brilliance, saying he was the first Indian to receive a PhD in economics. He said Ambedkar, in a letter written while resigning from Nehru's Cabinet, had outlined how the Congress humiliated him and opposed reservations for Dalits and OBCs a letter Joshi claimed has been deliberately erased from public memory.
Taking his attack further, Joshi accused Nehru of opposing reservation by writing to all Chief Ministers against it. He said even former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi delivered long speeches criticising reservation, and added that today's Congress leaders continue to carry the same anti-Dalit mindset. He cited a recent incident where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was allegedly made to sit on a side sofa during a party event, saying it showed how Dalit leaders are still not respected in the party.
Joshi lashed out at the Karnataka Congress government for choosing not to observe the centenary of Bheem Hejje, despite organising lavish celebrations to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Belagavi. He said the state government should have convened an all-party meeting and respectfully celebrated the occasion by involving Dalit thinkers and leaders.
He added that it is the BJP that has taken the initiative to celebrate the centenary of Bheem Hejje across five days in different parts of Karnataka. The concluding ceremony will be held on April 15 in Nipani, with a bike rally from Bengaluru to Nipani scheduled as part of the tribute. Prominent opposition leaders R Ashoka, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP MP Govind Karjol, and several Dalit leaders were present at the Bengaluru event.