BJP, Cong paying lip service to Babasaheb’s legacy: AAP chief

The AAP commemorated the 134th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar at its headquarters on Monday, with national convener Arvind Kejriwal leading the tributes.

Amid floral offerings and slogans in praise of the Constitution’s architect, the AAP leadership launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the Congress, accusing them of paying lip service to Ambedkar’s legacy while undermining his core principles.

Speaking at the event, Kejriwal said: “Babasaheb is not just a historical figure to us, he is the ideological backbone of our party. While other political parties garland his statues for votes, we are working on the ground to ensure dignity, education and opportunity for every citizen.”

The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that both BJP and Congress had deliberately kept the country poor and uneducated to sustain their vote-bank politics.

“They have conspired to block educational progress for 75 years. In Delhi, we proved that government schools can be transformed. Now, that work is being undone,” he said.

Kejriwal criticised the recent spate of fee hike in private schools, claiming that since the BJP came to power in Delhi, “while some schools have doubled their fee, others raised it by 80 per cent.” He accused the government of siding with private institutions instead of protecting parents from exploitation. “Parents are being threatened, children are locked out of classrooms and the education system is under attack,” he said.

The AAP chief also highlighted how his government had overhauled the city’s public education system with reforms such as Happiness Curriculum, Business Blasters and ‘Mission Buniyaad’. “Today, all of that is being dismantled,” he said, warning that Delhi could soon resemble Gujarat where “157 government schools recorded zero pass percentage in Class X board exams.”

Accusing the BJP of hypocrisy, Kejriwal pointed to the removal of Ambedkar’s portraits from government offices after the change in power. “They claim to respect him, but erase his image from public memory. This isn’t respect, it’s betrayal,” he said.

AAP’s Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed these sentiments, calling BJP’s promises to Dalits “disgraceful and unfulfilled.” He cited the withdrawal of scholarships and unkempt election promises, adding that, “This government removed Ambedkar’s portrait from every office wall. Their actions speak louder than their garlands.”

AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia, Atishi, Pankaj Gupta, and Satyendar Jain, were also present at the ceremony. The party vowed to continue fighting for Ambedkar’s vision of an equal, educated, and just society.

Delhi