Nashik: A controversy erupted during the Republic Day programme after Maharashtra Water Conservation Minister Girish Mahajan allegedly failed to mention the name of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his speech. Madhavi Jadhav, a woman employee from the Forest Department, raised a strong objection at the venue, leading to brief tension during the event.
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Following the incident, the police took Madhavi Jadhav into custody. Later, Minister Mahajan clarified that the omission was unintentional and expressed his apology.
During the Republic Day function, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s name was not mentioned in Mahajan’s speech. Objecting to this, Madhavi Jadhav publicly questioned the minister, stating that Dr Ambedkar was the chief architect of the Constitution. She alleged that while the names of others who had no role in framing the Constitution were repeatedly mentioned, the name of the true architect of the Constitution was ignored.
She asserted that the mistake lay with the minister and said she would not apologise for raising her voice. She further stated that even if she were suspended, she would not allow Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s identity and contribution to be erased. She questioned why the name of the real torchbearer of the Constitution and Republic Day was missing from the speech.
Reacting to the controversy, Minister Girish Mahajan said, “If the name of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was omitted unintentionally, there was no such intention on my part. I only raised slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’, and ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai’. I had no deliberate intention to avoid mentioning Dr Ambedkar’s name. I have never done this in my speeches before. However, I express my sincere apology.”
