For some, Ambedkar’s birthplace is a tourist spot: CM Yadav targets Cong campaign from Mhow

Indore, Jan 26 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday targeted the Congress’s ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ campaign, saying the opposition party leaders who have lost their political ground consider Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birthplace a tourist spot.

The Congress plans to launch the campaign on January 27 from Ambedkar’s birthplace Mhow in MP’s Indore district and has said that it will continue till Union Minister Amit Shah apologises and resigns for “insulting” the national icon.

The party’s top leadership, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, are scheduled to participate in the rally on Monday.

After attending the Republic Day function in Indore, Yadav reached the Ambedkar memorial in Mhow and paid tribute to the chief architect of the Constitution.

Talking to reporters, Yadav said, “It is a matter of good fortune that I got the opportunity to visit Ambedkar’s birthplace on Republic Day and pay my respects to him. It is a different matter that some people (Congress leaders) come here considering it a tourist spot.”

Describing Ambedkar’s birthplace as a “pilgrim spot”, he said that the importance of pilgrimages is on dates, and if Congress leaders have to visit Ambedkar’s birthplace, they should come on dates related to him.

Yadav accused the Congress of mocking the Constitution and Ambedkar and said, “It is unfortunate that some people come to Ambedkar’s birthplace because of their events, not because of their commitment.”

He said that people are observing everything and can identify everyone.

“Ambedkar faced many hardships during his lifetime due to a particular party and its leaders. Today, after losing their political ground, the leaders of this party are coming here considering Ambedkar’s birthplace a tourist spot…,” Yadav said.

There is no ban on Congress leaders visiting Mhow, Yadav said, adding that he hopes these leaders remember the “injustice” meted out to the Constitution maker and apologise to him for it.

The CM claimed that during the adoption of India’s Constitution in 1950, Ambedkar felt that the move to grant special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 was wrong as it would destroy the lives of many people in the future.

“We all saw that more than 40,000 people were killed due to Article 370,” he claimed.

The Narendra Modi government repealed Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, 2019, and divided the then state into union territories Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The Congress has been targeting Shah after he said during a Parliament session last year that “it has become a fashion” to chant Ambedkar’s name.