After objection, minister apologises for not mentioning Ambedkar in speech

A forest department employee interrupted the Republic Day 2026 speech of Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan in Nashik on Monday for not mentioning Dr BR Ambedkar following which the minister apologised calling it an unintentional omission news agency PTI reportedThe state water resources minister was addressing the official Republic Day 2026 function after unfurling the national flag when Madhvi Jadhav a staffer from the forest department interrupted the speech and sought an explanation for the absence of Ambedkarrsquos namePolice later intervened and detained Jadhav for a brief period PTI reportedldquoGirish Mahajan did not take Dr Ambedkarrsquos name in his speech whereas the names of people who were not responsible for democracy and the Constitution were repeatedly mentioned Why was the name of the person who truly deserves the honour of Republic Day not mentionedrdquo Jadhav askedShe accused the minister of attempting to erase Ambedkarrsquos identity PTI reportedldquoPeople like me have secured government jobs because of Babasaheb Ambedkar I will not apologiserdquo she said daring the administration to suspend herResponding to the incident later Mahajan said the omission was purely inadvertentldquoI raised slogans like lsquoBharat Mata Ki Jairsquo lsquoVande Mataramrsquo and lsquoChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jairsquo I did not intend to skip Dr Ambedkarrsquos name I always hail him in my speeches Still I apologise for the omissionrdquo the minister saidMember of Parliament from Mumbai and city Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP over the incident alleging that it reflected the partyrsquos mindsetldquoRepublic Day is a celebration of the Constitution and forgetting its makers shows the BJPrsquos antiMaharashtra mindsetrdquo she said adding that the objection raised by Jadhav echoed the sentiments of every selfrespecting Marathi citizenAlleging that the ruling party was driven only by power and money she said it had no respect for the leaders who shaped Maharashtra and the nationldquoThe people of Maharashtra will never forgive ministers who are intoxicated with powerrdquo she said in a statementRepublic Day 2026 India progressing rapidly on strength of Constitution says FadnavisIndia is moving swiftly on the foundation of its Constitution and democratic values and is on track to become the worldrsquos thirdlargest economy Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on MondayAddressing the main Republic Day function at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ground in Dadar Fadnavis highlighted Maharashtrarsquos recent economic achievements saying the state signed investment agreements worth Rs 30 lakh crore at the World Economic Forum in Davos further strengthening its role as a key driver of Indiarsquos economyldquoIndia is rapidly progressing on the strength of its Constitution and democratic values and is on course to become the worldrsquos thirdlargest economy The MoUs signed at the recent World Economic Forum would strengthen the statersquos role as the backbone of the countryrsquos economyrdquo he saidAfter unfurling the national flag Fadnavis asserted that Maharashtra will continue to remain dynamic and keep moving forward with the strength of the ConstitutionThe chief minister paid tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar and the members of the Constituent Assembly thanking them for framing the ConstitutionldquoThe values of freedom equality and brotherhood are an integral part of Indian culture and are clearly reflected in the Constitutionrdquo he saidFadnavis further added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos leadership India is now recognised as a significant global power and economymdasha development made possible by the democratic system enshrined in the ConstitutionWith PTI inputs