AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said that Dr BR Ambdekar was conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, out of obligation and not from the heart.
Speaking at an event in Kalyan in Maharashtra, Owaisi said, “Tell me, out of the total Bharat Ratna awards given, how many were Dalit, Adivasi, Muslim, poor, upper caste and Brahmin? Babasaheb (Ambedkar) was given Bharat Ratna, but out of compulsion and not by heart.”
Owaisi’s remarks came in the context of criticism of the government for conferring the Bharat Ratna on former President Pranab Mukherjee and ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan.
Asaduddin Owaisi at an event in Maharashtra y’day: Mujhe yeh batao ki jitne Bharat Ratna ke award diye gaye usmein se kitne dalit, adivasi, musalmanon, garibon, upper caste aur Brahminon ko diye gaye? Babasaheb ko Bharat Ratna diya par dil se nahi diya majboori ki halat mein diya pic.twitter.com/8P0V0Ncr3H
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2019
In September 2018, Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) entered into an alliance with Dr Ambedkar’s grandson ahead of the upcoming general elections and the Maharashtra assembly elections scheduled for later this year. Prakash Ambedkar leads the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM).
Owaisi’s comments come two days after the Indian government honoured former President Pranab Mukherjee and several others with the Bharat Ratna. This also included social activist Nanji Deshmukh, one of the BJP’s senior-most leaders, along with Assam music maestro, Bhupen Hazarika, who have been awarded posthumously.
The Father of the Indian Constitution, BR Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna in the year 1990. He died on December 6, 1956.
Responding to AIMIM Chief’s remarks, Dalit supremo Mayawati’s BSP demanded a Bharat Ratna for the party founder – Kanshi Ram. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Sudhindra Bhadoria was quoted as saying, “Everybody knows that when VP Singh was the Prime Minister at that time. Mayawati and Kanshi Ram pressurized them to give Bharat Ratna to Bala Saheb BR Ambedkar. We demanded that Kanshi Ram should also get one and if that will be given it will be a welcomed decision.”
However, Congress leader Meem Afzal condemned Owaisi’s remarks an said that it was very wrong to talk in this manner about the Bharat Ratna and drag in religion and caste into the matter.
