In UP, Ambedkar to now be called Bhimrao 'Ramji'
BR Ambedkar
The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to insert the middle name -- Ramji -- to the name of Father of the Constitution BR Ambedkar in official correspondence and records
The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to insert the middle name -- Ramji -- to the name of Father of the Constitution BR Ambedkar in official correspondance and records much to the chagrin of the opposition.
The spelling of Ambedkar in English will remain unchanged, but the Hindi it will be spelt as 'Aambedkar'.
'Ramji' was the name of the father of BR Ambedkar and as per practice in Maharashtra, father's name is used as the middle name by his son.
A government order to this effect was issued last night by Principal Secretary (Admin) Jitendra Kumar, an official spokesman said here today.
The campaign to write Ambedkar's name in the correct way was initiated by Governor Ram Naik in December 2017, citing the manner in which Ambedkar signed on the pages of the Constitution.
The governor had written to the prime minister, the chief minister and also the Babasahib Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha, expressing concerns over the prevalent "incorrect spelling" of Ambedkar.
BJP MP and prominent Dalit leader Udit Raj said he did not find any reason to change Ambedkar's name and that it was an individual's freedom to decide how he wanted to be known. He added that the Dalit community was not happy with the addition to Ambedkar's name.
"I don't find any reason to change his name, it's an individual's freedom to decide how he wants to be known, Why create a controversy unnecessarily? The Dalit community has expressed its displeasure," Udit Raj, BJP MP said.
The opposition Samajwadi Party accused the government of playing politics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
"The BJP government is playing politics with the name of the Dalit icon," SP leader Anurag Bhadoria said hours after the state government issued the order.
He charged the state government with politicising Ambedkar's name for attracting Dalit the vote bank.
Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya, however, said there was no politics in the decision and no ulterior motive should be seen in it.
(With inputs from agencies)