An Indian-American Congressman on Tuesday introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives to honour the 129th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of India's Constitution.
Introduced by Congressman Ro Khanna, the resolution acknowledges the profound impact of America's own discriminatory practices on Ambedkar, specifically pointing to the systematic discrimination of African-Americans and women in the United States as influential in his pursuit to guarantee equal rights for every human being in the Indian Constitution.
Additionally, the resolution celebrates Ambedkar's historic labour reforms, codification of gender equality, and the successful inclusion of Article 17 in the Constitution of India, which abolished untouchability and its practice in any form.
Endorsed by Equality Labs and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), the resolution is co-sponsored by Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and three other Indian-American Congressmen Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal and Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was a pioneer in the movement to make India a free, fair and just society for everyone in it.
He mobilised a generation to push back against discrimination and to instead celebrate equality, human rights and universal tolerance. Today, we stand at a moment in world history when we could all use more of that compassionate spirit, Khanna said.
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It is a great honor to work with Congressman Khanna on this resolution to commemorate the powerful life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a man who laid a critical foundation for justice and equality in the Indian Constitution through his work on caste abolition, said SAALT.
As a fearless Dalit leader, his legacy should remind us that the notion that any one human life is inherently more valuable than another is at the root of all forms of discrimination," it said.
"This Dalit history month even in this dark time of COVID-19 it is inspirational to know that we can find the light of hope in our history, executive director of Equality Labs Thenmozhi Soundararajan said, adding that is why Equality Labs was thrilled to work with Khanna's office on first Congressional Resolution to celebrating Dr Ambedkar and his life and legacy.
We hope all Americans will join us in celebrating this towering historical figure who was a fearless feminists and caste abolitionist whose contributions to the fields of economics, philosophy, religious, jurisprudence, and democracy remain unparalleled even today," he said.