Tussle over Ambedkar

The 135th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar presented an opportunity to political parties to rise above their differences and reaffirm their allegiance to the Constitution, but they preferred to indulge in their trademark sport — one-upmanship. In his address after flagging off the Hisar-Ayodhya flight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of betraying Ambedkar by turning Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs into “second-class citizens” while in power. Ironically, his allegation that the Congress is destroying the Constitution comes at a time when a law enacted by his own government, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, has been challenged in the Supreme Court and dubbed “unconstitutional” by Opposition parties.

The grand old party was quick to hit back, saying that the Modi government was paying only lip service to Ambedkar’s legacy and doing nothing to fulfil his wishes. Amid the unsavoury slanging match, the bottom line is that rival parties are vying to project themselves as the sole custodian of the Constitution as well as Ambedkar’s vision of social and economic justice. However, vote bank politics continues to be their driving force. Caste, class and communal schisms persist because political leaders want it that way for the sake of electoral gains.

Key stakeholders such as the executive, the legislature and the judiciary must ask themselves why inequality and discrimination prevail even 75 years after India became a republic. Can a nation in which free speech, democracy and federalism are often under threat stand tall in the global arena? Devil-may-care comedian Kunal Kamra was bang on target when he flashed a pocket version of the Constitution and wrote, “The only way forward.” Indeed, following the Constitution in letter and spirit would be the best tribute to its principal architect, Ambedkar. It would require collective efforts, not an unhealthy tussle to appropriate his enduring legacy.

Editorials