
SP MP Ramji Lal Suman threatens nationwide stir if Ambedkar statue not installed in Gwalior HC
Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman on Monday threatened to launch a nationwide stir if a statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, is not installed at the premises of the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
He alleged that authorities are preventing him from travelling to Gwalior, where he intended to raise his voice over the issue.
Addressing a press conference in Agra, Suman claimed he and his supporters were stopped from proceeding to Gwalior despite their peaceful intentions.
"We are being prevented from travelling not just to Gwalior but also to other districts of Uttar Pradesh. This is a direct attack on our democratic rights," he said.
Suman expressed deep concern over what he described as "deliberate efforts to create controversy and disharmony in society".
He alleged that even though the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had approved the installation of the Ambedkar statue, the directive was not being followed.
"This is not just a violation of a court order, it is an insult to the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar,' he said.
Warning of widespread protests, Suman said: "If the statue of Babasaheb is not installed at the premises of the Gwalior Bench, a nationwide movement will be launched."
He also made a controversial comparison during his press conference, pointing out that a statue of Manu Maharaj -- believed by many to be the author of Manusmriti -- is installed outside the Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur, while Ambedkar's statue is being resisted in Gwalior.
"Manu Maharaj was against the dignity of women and Dalits. And yet his statue stands tall, while Babasaheb, who gave us the Constitution, is being disrespected," he said.
This isn't the first time Suman has stirred controversy. Earlier, he drew sharp criticism after calling 16th-century Rajput ruler Rana Sanga a "traitor" during a speech in the Rajya Sabha, which sparked outrage from political opponents.
Suman said the current developments reflect the Madhya Pradesh government's worrying attitude towards Dalit representation and historical justice. "The message is clear -- certain forces are not comfortable with Ambedkar's legacy," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Quota sub-categorisation ensures marginalised get their share: CJI B R Gavai
NEW DELHI: Nearly a year after penning the seven-judge Supreme Court bench's majority view favouring sub-categorisation of Scheduled Caste quota, India's second Dalit CJI B R Gavai has said the ruling ensured that the most backward among Dalits got a fair share in public employment and admissions to govt educational institutions. Speaking at the Oxford Union on 'From Representation to Realisation: Embodying the Constitution's Promise' on Tuesday night, CJI Gavai stepped into the rare zone of a judge explaining his judgment in public. The seven-judge bench judgment, authored by Justice Gavai, had on Aug 1 last year permitted states to sub-categorise castes within SC communities based on socio-economic backwardness and the degree of under-representation in govt jobs to ensure that the larger pie of 15% quota went to the most backward. The court had asked govts to devise suitable criteria to bar the 'creamy layer' among the SCs from availing reservation. The logic behind the court's suggestion for keeping out the 'creamy layer' was that the children of civil servants and others from among the SCs, who had moved up on the socio-economic ladder and received good education, were not deserving of quotas. In his speech, CJI Gavai said the apex court's decision to uphold the principle of sub-classification within quotas for SCs "was not to question the relevance or success of reservations, but to ensure that the most marginalised within marginalised groups receive their fair share". He said many decades ago, millions of citizens of India were called untouchables, but the country had marched ahead and "here we are today, where a person belonging to those very (untouchable) people is speaking openly, as the holder of the highest office in the judiciary of the country". "This is what the Constitution of India did. It told the people of India that they belong, that they can speak for themselves, and that they have an equal place in every sphere of society and power," he said, adding that it was possible because the prime architect of the Constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar, made inclusivity and equality the bedrock of constitutional values and guarantees.


The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Even America can't control Trump—Rathore retorts as he defends diplomatic response to US deportations
' Yeh jo antarrashtriya diplomacy hai, uske andar lagatar hamari Ministry of External Affairs doosre deshon ke saath baat karti hai (The Ministry of External Affairs is in constant touch with other countries when it comes to international diplomacy),' he said. ' Aur is case mein America ke saath baat kar rahi hai. Abhi hum jab baat kar rahe hain, usse kuch din pehle hi hamare External Affairs Minister America mein the. Nishchit roop se yeh saari baatein ho rahi hain (In America's case, our external affairs minister (S. Jaishankar) has just concluded a visit to the US, all these conversations are definitely taking place).' At a press conference on 11 years of the Modi government, in Bikaner Tuesday, Rathore fired a sharp retort when asked why New Delhi hadn't taken a more forceful stand against the treatment of Indians overseas. New Delhi: Days after a video surfaced of a young Indian man being pinned down and handcuffed at New York's Newark airport, Rajasthan cabinet minister and BJP MLA Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, while defending New Delhi's response to US deportations of Indian nationals, said even America cannot control its president Donald Trump. He went on to say: 'Jis Rashtrapati ki aap baat kar rahe hain, usko America hi nahi control kar paaya. Toh Bharat toh baatcheet kar hi raha hai (The President [Trump] you're referring to, even America couldn't control him. So of course, India is engaging in dialogue).' Without naming Trump, Rathore appeared to draw a contrast between India's steady diplomatic engagement and America's own internal challenges during the Trump presidency, which saw frequent and often sudden shifts in immigration policy. His remarks come amid outrage over the latest incident, which follows a spate of deportations of Indian nationals from the US. In February, there was an uproar over visuals of Indians being deported in handcuffs, with even their legs chained as they were being brought back in a US military aircraft. Jaishankar had at the time said that the use of restraints has been standard operating procedure by US authorities since 2012. Nearly 16,000 Indians have been deported from the US since 2009, for attempting to enter the North American country illegally, the external affairs minister had informed the Rajya Sabha then, adding that New Delhi is engaging with the US to ensure Indians deported are not 'mistreated' in any manner by American authorities. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: There's an all-new N-word now. And India's soft power has become its hard liability


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bhim Army protests seeking Ambedkar statue at Gwalior HC
Bhopal: A protest was held by Bhim Army Bharat Ekta Mission on Wednesday over the ongoing dispute regarding the installation of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's statue in the Gwalior High Court premises. The organization had planned a Mahapanchayat at Phoolbagh Ground, but police stopped members at Niravali Point on the Gwalior-Morena border to prevent them from entering the city. Despite the restrictions, hundreds of supporters gathered at Niravali Point by 2:30 PM, where the Mahapanchayat was eventually conducted. From the protest stage, national president of Bhim Army Bharat Ekta Mission, Vinay Ratan Singh, along with other leaders, declared their unwavering resolve to install Dr Ambedkar's statue in the High Court. "Babasaheb gave this nation its Constitution, and it's our duty to honour him. Those opposing the statue must understand this. If dialogue fails, the agitation will intensify," Singh was quoted by local media. Protesters traveling from Delhi, Agra, and Dholpur were also prevented from reaching Gwalior. Police set up checkpoints in Morena and Dholpur to stop vehicles and curb the assembling of large crowds in the city. In anticipation of unrest, the administration deployed over 1000 police personnel along with senior officers to monitor the situation from Gwalior to the Morena border. Ambulances were also placed on standby for any emergencies. Prior to this, the Jai Bhim organization had also staged a demonstration in support of the statue's installation.