14 April,2024 03:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at Deekshabhoomi/ X
Thousands of people flocked to Maharashtra on the 133rd anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth to honour the renowned social reformer and jurist.
To celebrate Ambedkar's memory, crowds have been assembling since midnight in two important locations: Dadar in Mumbai and Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. While Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid respects at Dadar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP president Chandrasekhar Bawankule visited Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, reported PTI.
Local authorities provided visitors with basic services like water, and the areas surrounding these places were teeming with booths selling books and memorabilia relating to Ambedkar, the PTI report further added.
Earlier in the day, speaking to the media from Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh said that the people of India will not let the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He referred to statements made by the saffron party leaders including Nirmala Sitharaman, another report in ANI stated.
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"Today is the 133rd birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the talk of changing the Constitution after 400 paar is going everywhere. BJP leaders talk like if we get 400 seats then we are thinking of changing the Constitution of India. Today on the 133rd birth anniversary, every single person here is saying that they will not allow the Bharatiya Janata Party to change the Constitution," Anil Deshmukh told ANI.
More about Dr BR Ambedkar
Dr BR Ambedkar, a prominent Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer, was born on April 14, 1891. He opposed societal injustice against Dalits and worked for women's and workers' rights. He died on December 6, 1956.
Ambedkar was well-known for his intellectual achievements, having received doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the University of London. He spearheaded key activities, including a satyagraha in Mahad to protect the untouchable community's right to water.
The Poona Pact, made in 1932 by Ambedkar and Madan Mohan Malaviya, resulted in enhanced legislative representation for the low-income public.
As one of seven members of the committee that produced the Indian Constitution, Ambedkar helped shape the country's founding text. In 1990, he was posthumously granted India's highest civilian distinction, the Bharat Ratna.
Ambedkar died peacefully in his sleep on December 6, 1956, at his residence in Delhi, the report added.