Akhilesh unveils Ambedkar statue, renews commitment to protect the Constitution

Kanpur: In a fresh Dalit outreach, Samajwadi Party national president, Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday unveiled a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar--the architect of the Indian Constitution-- two days before his birth anniversary on April 14.
The statue was unveiled at Mahewa block in Etawah at an event where Akhilesh, as a tribute to Ambedkar, renewed his party's commitment to counter any attack on the Indian Constitution by the BJP govt in the state and at the Centre.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Akhilesh announced that on April 14, every Samajwadi Party worker will celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti by remembering Babasaheb's struggles to ensure a dignified life for the oppressed. He charged the BJP with undermining the provisions of the Constitution by circumventing reservation benefits to the Dalits and backwards and pledged to bring about change through means adopted by Ambedkar, socialist ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia, and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"We promise that the vision Dr Ambedkar had and the Constitution he gave us will be protected by the PDA family. No matter how powerful or authoritarian someone becomes, we will not let Dr Ambedkar's Constitution be altered, he said", and added that by April 14, every Samajwadi Party worker will host events to highlight Dr BR Ambedkar's life struggles.
Akhilesh highlighted the significance of having Bhimrao Ambedkar and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statues positioned together in Mahewa, suggesting it would provide valuable lessons to the BJP. He advised BJP leaders to seek Baba Saheb's guidance for strengthening the nation.
Addressing BJP's Dalit outreach initiative, Akhilesh noted their concern regarding PDA's influence. He observed that following socialist programmes, the BJP started their Dalit outreach. They would eventually acknowledge their mistakes, he predicted.
He spoke about Phoolan Devi's unprecedented struggles and persecution, emphasising how Netaji and the Samajwadi Party facilitated her entry into the Lok Sabha. He credited PDA, Baba Saheb's constitution, Lohia Ji's ideology, and Netaji's efforts for establishing their party as the largest party in Uttar Pradesh. He referenced Baba Saheb's experiences with discrimination, saying how people like him were denied access to water sources available to animals, highlighting persistent social inequalities prevailing in our society.
He expressed concern about the treatment of the Bahujan community, pointing out the reduction in reservations and limited advancement opportunities.
Regarding Ramji Lal Suman, Akhilesh affirmed socialist support against any disrespect. He said, "Ramji Lal Suman is one of us. If anyone disrespects him, the Samajwadi people will stand by him. We will fight for his honour. This Karni Sena and all are fake. They are all associated with the BJP." He drew parallels between the Karni Sena and Hitler's forces, describing how Hitler's supporters, dressed as police, targeted opponents as a superstar force. He said that the Karni Sena represents BJP's super force.