Seven held after groups clash over garlanding Ambedkar statue in Dombivli

A police official said that seven persons were arrested on Monday after two groups clashed in Dombivli in Thane district following an argument over garlanding the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar during a function to mark his birth anniversary reported news agency PTIThe Dombivli police station official said the incident took place at Mashal ChowkPeople had started gathering at the site since 145 am One group wanted to garland the Babasaheb Ambedkar statue first but another set of people objected to this The argument escalated into a clash in which sticks were used and stones were pelted resulting in injuries to some persons and damage to vehicles he said reported PTIThose arrested and injured include women The situation is fully under control Further probe into the incident is underway he addedAmbedkars birth anniversary celebrated as political parties vie for his legacyAs the birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar the chief architect of the Constitution was celebrated across the country on Monday political parties squabbled to claim the Dalit icons legacy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the Congress the destroyer of ConstitutionHitting back Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of paying only lip service to Ambedkars legacy but doing nothing to fulfil his wishes and claimed the BJPRSS were his enemiesEarlier in the day thousands of people from across the country arrived at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur Maharashtra to pay tributes to Ambedkar on his 134th birth anniversary and take part in various programmes scheduled to mark the occasionAmbedkar embraced Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in 1956 making it a revered site for his followersPresident Droupadi Murmu Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Prime Minister Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid floral tributes at the statue of Ambedkar in the Parliament House ComplexSenior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also paid homage at the statue of AmbedkarPresident Murmu said Ambedkars contributions across various fields would continue to inspire future generations to work with dedication towards nationbuildingPM Modi said that it was due to his inspiration that the country was dedicated to realising the dream of social justice His principles and ideas will strengthen and speed up the building of an aatmanirbhar selfreliant and developed India he said on XLater addressing a gathering in Haryanas Hisar the prime minister alleged that the Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution framed by AmbedkarBabasaheb Ambedkar wanted to bring equality but Congress spread the virus of vote bank politics in the country He wanted every poor person to live with dignity with heads held high to dream and fulfil them But the Congress made the SCs STs and OBCs secondclass citizens he saidPM Modi alleged the Congress turned the pious Constitution into a weapon to gain power and spread the virus of vote bank politicsCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the Modi government paid mere lip service to him and reiterated the demand for a caste survey to push social justiceWhile PM Modi led the BJPs charge on its rivals and its push to be identified as the champion of constitutional values espoused by Ambedkar Kharge alleged the BJPRSS were his enemiesWith inputs from PTIatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params