PATNA: Union minister and BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday accused Congress of denying due respect to Constitution framer and Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, adding that it was the BJP-supported government at the centre which awarded Bharat Ratna to the departed leader.“What is more unfortunate is that Congress tried twice to prevent Dr. Ambedkar from being elected to Lok Sabha. He was later honoured with the Bharat Ratna when the BJP supported government was in power at the centre. He got his due after four decades of his death,” Nadda said.Addressing workers of the BJP on the occasion of membership drive in the state capital, party president said that Congress neither acknowledged contributions nor recognised the struggle of Dalits. It was PM Narendra Modi who announced that ‘Samvidhan Diwas’ would be celebrated on November 26, dedicating it to Baba Saheb.He claimed that under former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s BJP government, the first Dalit Speaker of the Lok Sabha was appointed and today out of 71 BJP ministers, 10 are from the Dalit community, 27 are from Backward classes and five are from the tribal community, the national president revealed. He claimed that it was only the BJP where all party workers, from PM to national president, state presidents, district presidents, mandal presidents and booth presidents are required to renew their party membership after every six years. The BJP membership drive aimed to connect people with the party. He said the BJP membership drive is a national organisational event for the party, directly connecting the BJP with the public and making it a party of the people. That’s why the BJP, with 18 crore members, is now the largest political party in the world.The party president highlighted the BJP’s dedication to uplifting marginalised communities, including villages, the poor, oppressed, Dalits, farmers, youths and women. On the other hand, other parties, especially Congress, have historically ignored Dalit rights, he alleged.Referring to BJP’s works for welfare of the Dalits, Nadda said that under the PM Awas Yojna, 1.77 crore houses were provided to the Dalit families. He emphasised that the Dalits have been major beneficiaries of central schemes like Ayushman Bharat and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna. Exhorting the workers to devote their time and work sincerely for strengthening the party, the national president asked them to take a pledge that no person from the state is left out from joining the BJP.
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