Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday invoked Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to launch a sharp attack on opposition parties, accusing them of undermining India’s constitutional values and indulging in appeasement politics. Addressing a public gathering, he said the nation must remember Ambedkar’s warnings and remain vigilant about forces that “disrespect India’s identity”.
Yogi said, “We feel proud of our Constitution. We feel proud of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Even then, he warned us about all those dangers. In 1923, a senior Congress leader refused to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ and later expressed a desire to die in Jerusalem. Baba Saheb said that someone born in India, who enjoys its benefits but does not regard its soil as sacred, can never truly serve the interests of its people.”
He alleged that political groups driven by appeasement were still repeating such mistakes. “Parties that support appeasement are not only damaging India but also insulting Baba Saheb Ambedkar. They are engaged in a disgraceful effort to strip citizens of their rights. Under PM Modi’s leadership, the new India honours its great men with pride,” Yogi added.
Shifting focus to welfare initiatives, the Chief Minister announced a major step toward securing benefits for essential service workers. He revealed that a new corporation has been set up to ensure a minimum honorarium for Class IV employees, sanitation workers, and contract staff.
“Within the next 1–2 months, the government will guarantee a minimum honorarium to all such employees. This is part of our ‘Zero Poverty’ campaign. We are close to completing identification of marginalised groups — SCs, STs, and Most Backward Classes — who still remain deprived,” he said.
