Congress pays tributes to Ambedkar, Rahul says he gave India its strongest pillar of strength

The Congress on Thursday paid tributes to B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi saying he gave India its strongest pillar of strength – the Constitution.

A key architect of India's Constitution, Ambedkar is regarded as an icon, especially by Dalits, for his relentless work for social reforms and empowerment of the disadvantaged sections of society.

''On the occasion of his 131st birth anniversary, my tributes to Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, who gave India its strongest pillar of strength - our sacred Constitution,'' Gandhi said in a tweet. On its official Twitter handle, the Congress said Babasaheb Ambedkar remains a champion of equality, human rights and social justice.

''His life and actions have been a source of inspiration for crores all over the world. On his birth anniversary, we celebrate the legacy of the man who gave India her Constitution,'' the party said. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid rich tributes to Ambedkar, saying that it was due to his efforts that the country got such a Constitution, in whose preamble there was the mantra for the strength of the country.

''Babasaheb gave the blueprint of nation building based on the ideas of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, self-respect and unity and integrity of the country…these are our basic strengths,'' she said in a tweet in Hindi. Various forces are attacking these values ​​which have been acquired from history, Priyanka Gandhi said, adding that they are ''weakening the Constitution''. ''In the honour of Babasaheb, we all have to stand firm and defend the Constitution and the values ​​enshrined in it,'' she said.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal, party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, along with several other party leaders paid rich tributes to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. Ambedkar was born in 1891 and was India's first law minister. He was given Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 1990.