206-ft-tall statue of Ambedkar to be unveiled in Vijayawada

Vijayawada, Jan 18: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will unveil the 206-feet tall statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar in Vijayawada on Friday.

The 125-feet tall sculpture, installed on an 81-feet pedestal at the Ambedkar Smriti Vanam, is the tallest Ambedkar statue in the world.

The statue has been installed in the historical Swaraj Maidan. The Chief Minister has made an emotional appeal to the people to voluntarily attend the unveiling of the statue.

He described the statue as the greatest sculpture of social justice that stands as a finest jewel in the crown of not only the state but also of the country.

Paying his tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution, Jagan Mohan Reddy said the visionary’s sky-high individuality and his reform-oriented ideas expressed hundred years ago would continue to influence and change the social, economic and political history of the country, especially that of women.

“The statue has been installed with great responsibility as the government has been implementing the Navaratnalu welfare schemes with an unfettered confidence in his ideology. Dr Ambedkar rebelled against untouchability and the dominant ideology while taking education closer to the oppressed classes,” he said, observing that the leader continues to remain a great power personifying social justice and equality.

His giant personality continues to work as an omnipotence safeguarding us through constitutional rights, the Chief Minister stated, adding that the presence of his statues in each and every hamlet serves as an abundant inspiration that bestows continuous confidence, support and courage to the weaker sections.

He further said that we are all honouring Dr Ambedkar as his ideology remains the source for the changes witnessed in the lives of Dalits and the poor irrespective of the caste, creed and religion in the last 77 years.

The unveiling of the Ambedkar statue in Vijayawada will not only be written with golden letters in the history of the state but it will also continue to inspire others for hundreds of years in the future, he further said.

“I strongly believe that it would help the poor have a permanent place in the political power besides guiding us to rebel against the feudalistic forces while reforming the society and turn us towards social equality for changing the course of the society,” he said.