New Delhi, Mar 21 (Agencies) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today compared Dr BR Ambedkar to iconic civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and vowed a world-class memorial in Delhi in honour of the architect of the Indian constitution.
Delivering the sixth annual Ambedkar Memorial lecture, the PM said that none of his predecessors have attended the event in the past.
"It is a big mistake to label Baba sahib (only) a messiah of the Dalits," he said, underscoring that Dr Ambedkar's work in fighting the caste system was one of his many huge contributions to independent India.
The government has been headlining events to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar, with the opposition Congress accusing it of trying to appropriate a national icon that was for decades given minimal attention by the ruling BJP.