City observes 105th birth anniversary of Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore:, April 5, 2012 : The DK district administration, the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC), the DK Zilla Panchayath (ZP), and the Department of Social Welfare jointly observed the 105th birth anniversary of Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram, the late deputy prime minister, in the ZP Nethravathi Auditorium on April 5 Thursday.

Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram was the union minister for agriculture for two successive terms and also the defence minister during the Indo-Pak war in the early seventies.

Yogish Bhat, the deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly, delivered the inaugural address in which he spoke of the active role played by Babu Jagjivan Ram in India’s green revolution and declared that India has achieved self-sufficiency in food chiefly because of his efforts.

Y. Shivaramaiah, the assistant secretary of the ZP, delivered the keynote address. He spoke of the role played by Dr. Ram in fighting social evils and referred to him as a “crusader against untouchability.”

Speaking of the differences between Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, he said that unlike Ambedkar who converted to Buddhism, Dr. Ram fought against evils in Hindu society by remaining a Hindu.

Prominent citizens such as K. T. Shailaja Bhat, the president of the ZP; MLA U. T. Khader; Vice President Dhanalakshmi Janardhan; DC Dr. Channappa Gowda; Dr. K. N. Vijayaprakash, the ZP CEO; Amitakala, the deputy mayor; and Dr. Harish Kumar, the commissioner of the MCC, were also present.