New Delhi: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the BJP bows before B R Ambedkar "out of compulsion" but fails to uphold his ideals, particularly in the field of education. There was no immediate response from the BJP to the former chief minister's remarks. Speaking at an event at the AAP headquarters here to commemorate Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Kejriwal said, "We try to follow Babasaheb's path while running our party and government. Today, many parties and leaders commemorate him merely for show, they don't follow his ideals. For instance, no other party prioritises education, which was one of his core principles."
The BJP government in Delhi is working against Ambedkar's vision by halting schemes initiated by the previous AAP dispensation in government schools, he charged. "Give me the name of one BJP-ruled state where good work has been done in the field of education. Earlier I used to think that they lacked the ability to improve education but now I am convinced that they simply do not want to. They bow before Babasaheb out of compulsion. They do not like him because he fought for universal adult franchise, which many opposed," Kejriwal claimed. Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said the AAP is working on Babasaheb's ideals. "We are committed to quality education and unity among all sections of society without exploiting divisions for political gain," he said. In a post on X, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi credited Ambedkar with giving rights to crores of Indians through the Constitution. "Tributes to Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary... (He) gave self-respect, rights and justice to crores of Indians through the Constitution. We will definitely realise Babasaheb's dreams for this country by fighting every dictatorship and oppression with the power of the Constitution. Hail Bhim, hail Constitution," she said. Born in 1891 in a Dalit family, Ambedkar was a pioneering jurist, social reformer and the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He also served as the country's first law minister.