Mangaluru: On account of 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, a rally was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim from the Dr Ambedkar Circle in Jyothi, which culminated at the Town Hall here, on April 14.
There was a formal function held at the Town Hall to commemorate the anniversary. Before the function, the dignitaries garlanded the statue of Dr Ambedkar. The programme was organised under the joint aegis of the District Administration, Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). Joint Director of DSW, Dr G Santhosh Kumar welcomed the gathering.
District Minister In-charge, B Ramanath Rai garlanded the portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar along with other dignitaries. Speaking on this occasion, Rai said, “There are many who question the need of reservation in our nation, but we must know that it is only here that you find so much discrimination based on caste. During the time of Dr Ambedkar, the social structure was entirely different and there were many who didn’t own even a single cent of the land. But due to the struggles of Dr Ambedkar, who is the architect of our constitution, many have secured social justice.”
He further said, “The youth should not forget his struggle and continue his work. Every district has a Dr Ambedkar Bhavan and a similar Bhavan should be built in our district too. I am happy to announce that though there were initial hurdles, we have managed to secure the land where the community wanted to build an Ambedkar Bhavan.”
“We should all work towards building a beautiful society that is socially equal as nobody has a choice to decide their caste or religion before birth,” he added.
An oath was administered to the audience towards building a society which is socially equal. Minister for Health and Family Welfare, UT Khader said, “If the poor, farmers, working class, discriminated and all others can move freely from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, if one can speak freely in India without any fear, if a foreigner can walk freely and follow his culture in India, then it is all due to the constitution given to us by Dr Ambedkar. It is the greatest constitution in the world and we have to preserve it. The rich and poor, all enjoy equal rights and participate in the elections.”
“As various religions have their own Holy Books the people of India have a Holy Book called the constitution of India. If the youth wants to show patriotism towards the nation, they need not give their blood as our ancestors have already shed their blood for the nation. The youth should instead use their words and work towards the betterment of the nation. If this happens then India will be the number one nation in the world,” Khader said.
“The State government has appointed the downtrodden to various administrative posts because only they can understand the true problems faced by the people. The CM has launched schemes for the poor so that they feel equal to the higher class. Today we find many educated people who can’t tolerate certain colours like saffron or green. If in this century we have such a diminished mindset then we should wonder if our education has actually served its purpose or not. We should instead hold hands of those who are left behind and bring them to the mainstream,” Khader said.
Free fishing kits were distributed to fishermen of the backward community on this occasion. MLA JR Lobo, MLA Mohiuddin Bava, Police Commissioner Chandra Sekhar, SP Dr Sharanappa, ADC Kumara, ZP CEO Sreevidya, MUDA Chairman Ibrahim Kodijal and others were also present.