TRIBUTE TO JAGJIWAN RAM

TRIBUTE TO JAGJIWAN RAM

8-JULY-ENG 7

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------The death anniversary of India's former Deputy Prime Minister, the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, was observed at Shahid Bhawan in Ara under the chairmanship of Bhojpur District Congress Committee President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari. Floral tributes were offered at his statue, and Congress National Spokesperson Anshul Avijit attended the event as the chief guest to pay his respects. Hundreds of Congress workers from the district also participated. Addressing the tribute meeting, Anshul Avijit remarked that it is only within the ideology and philosophy of the Congress party that a leader like Babu Jagjivan Ram—revered as a messiah for India's Dalits and affectionately known as 'Babuji'—could rise to such prominence. Born on April 5, 1908, in Chandwa village, he went on to hold distinguished positions such as Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Railway Minister, and Agriculture Minister. He was one of the longest-serving ministers in the post-independence era. He raised his voice against untouchability and championed the Dalit movement. He is regarded as a father figure of the Green Revolution; during his tenure as Agriculture Minister, he made India self-reliant in food grain production. Furthermore, as Defence Minister during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he played a pivotal role in the creation of Bangladesh. This is why, today, members of equality movements and Dalit organizations garland his portrait, and Jagjivan Ram Memorial Day is observed in schools and government institutions; a tribute meeting is held at Samata Sthal in Delhi, where discussions take place regarding equality, social justice, and self-reliance. "Break caste barriers, unite society" and "Education is the path to liberation" were his key slogans. In his address, District President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari stated that Babuji dedicated his entire life to the upliftment of the poor, farmers, and Dalits. He remarked that the true tribute to him today would be to carry his unfinished work and dreams to the masses. Attendees at the event included former President Triveni Prasad Singh, Professor Balraj Thakur, Professor Arun Kumar Singh, Badrivishal Singh, Razi Ahmed, Shyamnandan Ojha, Surendra Ravidas, Youth District President Dr. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Monu Singh, Ajay Paswan, Abhishek Tiwari 'Golu', Saket Tiwari, Mohammad Sarik Khan, Ranjit Yadav, Shakti Singh 'Manan', Rajesh Tiwari, Raghavendra Dhari Singh, Imdad Ahmed, Arvind Kumar Singh, Butan Kumar Yadav, Amit Mishra, Abdul Salam Qureshi, Lutavan Chaurasia, Ghanshyam Chaudhary, Chandan Singh, Lal Babu Sah, Shrikant Rai, Tunnu Singh, Dr. Bhim Tiwari, Madan Mohan Tiwari, Rohit Kumar, Ankit Kumar Pandey, Arun Kumar, Sumant Kumar Singh, Rohit Anand, Nandlal Rai, Mohammad Azad, and others.