Seminar stresses on Ambedkar’s contribution beyond social reforms

The need to look at the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar other than from the prism of social reform was stressed at a seminar on Monday. Delivering the inaugural address at the discussion on the Babasaheb’s legacy jointly organised by Shaheed Bhagat Sing (evening) College and Indian Institute of Public Administration, Union Minister Chaudhari Birender Singh said that the time has come to look at Babasaheb Ambedkar’s philosophy in broad perspective.

Singh, Union Minister for the Rural Development and Panchayti Raj, said “Confining Babasheb Ambedkar’s legacy only to the ‘social reform’ is like avoiding other aspects of his philosophy, because he has not only paved the way for the social reform in India but being as economist he also stressed on the need of economic reform for the country,”

In order to explain the economic reform which Babasheb Ambedkar has envisaged for the country, Singh cited example that how the expansion of banking facility has enabled the poor and marginalized citizen to avail various facilities which was earlier limited only to a few well off population.

“The existing economic divide is not any lesser disease than the social divide. Also, it is the economic equality which has capacity to eradicate most of the existing problem in the society, saying this is not a denial of the need of an egalitarian society,” Singh said.

Delivering the keynote address, KG Suresh, Director General of Indian Institute of Mass communication (IIMC) said, “Political parties seem to be seeking to outdo each other in claiming the legacy B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the constitution has left behind. It has become a fashion to claim Babasheb Ambedkar’s legacy even by those raising flags for the traitor like Yakub Menon.”

Taking a dig at the recent debate over nationalism versus anti-nationalist, a former member of Planning Commission and economist, Narendra Jadhav said “Ambedkar’s sense of nationalism was not just about the transfer of power from the British to the Indians, it was about national reconstruction, social and economic equity, redistributive justice and democracy in a genuine sense.” 

The seminar on the timeless legacy of Ambedkar was supported by Dr Ambedkar Foundation, the Centre for Reforms, Development and Justice (CRDJ) and the Millennium post. The seminar was attended by many distinguished academicians journalists and the students.