Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday inaugurated a 125-foot tall statue of B R Ambedkar here, built at a cost of Rs 400 crore and dubbed the ‘Statue of Social Justice’.
Erected on an 81-foot tall concrete pedestal, the statue is part of complex which also features B R Ambedkar experience centre, a 2,000-seat convention centre, food court, children’s play area, musical fountain, walkways and others.
“Today, in Vijayawada we are inaugurating the statue of an immortal social reformer who changed millennia-old social, financial and women’s history in our country,” said Reddy, addressing a public meeting prior to the inauguration.
CM Jagan described the statue as the greatest sculpture of social justice that stands as the finest jewel in the crown of not only the state but also the country. “The statue has been installed with great responsibility as the government has been implementing the Navaratnalu welfare schemes with unfettered confidence in his ideology. Dr Ambedkar rebelled against untouchability and the dominant ideology while taking education closer to the oppressed classes,” he said.
CM Jagan said that the presence of Ambedkar statues in every hamlet serves as inspiration that bestows continuous 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.
