'Poverty must be removed from villages to make India strong'

Nagpur, Oct 2 (UNI) Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today said India could not hope to become a super-power and a developed nation by 2020 unless poverty and unemployment were eradicated.

Mr Singh was speaking as the Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee function of the Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din at the historic Deekshabhoomi here today to mark the 50th anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism at the same venue (on October 14, 1956, which happened to be Dussehra). Bihar Governor R S Gavai was in the chair at the function.

Mr Singh said Dr Ambedkar's path of scientific attitude, education, social justice and social equality should be adopted for India to become a developed nation. He also said Buddhism too ought be adopted for achieving this objective.

In his presidential address, Bihar Governor R S Gavai criticised the move to describe Jainism and Buddhism as part of Hinduism. There were many differences between Buddhism and Hinduism, Gavai said, adding that this was an attempt by vested interests to neutralise the effects of the last 50 years of social revolution initiated by Dr Ambedkar.

The Bihar Governor described as the 'greatest bloodless social revolution' the conversion of seven lakh followers of Dr Ambedkar to Buddhism 50 years ago at Deekshabhoomi here.

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