BR Ambedkar never wanted power, quit over Hindu Bill: Bihar Guv

Ahmedabad, Jan 31: Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday, Jan 30 said that Dr B R Ambedkar readily resigned as the law minister from Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet when the government refused to back the reformist Hindu Code Bill.

"Jawaharlal Nehru had told Babasaheb Ambedkar that nation is not ready for your modern thoughts on the issue of giving rights to Hindu girls in family property," Kovind said while addressing students at the Gujarat National Law University at Gandhinagar during a seminar on Ambedkar.

"Ambedkar replied that as the country has become independent, it is our duty to create that type of awareness through a law.

However, when Nehru went back on (introducing) the bill, Ambedkar resigned," he said. The Governor said that Ambedkar's aim was not to get political power from the British but the uplift of the people.

"On the one side were Nehru, Gandhi and others who aimed at getting power (by throwing off the British rule), while Ambedkar never aimed at getting power. He believed that if ills present in the society are removed, the country will progress on its own," he said.

PTI