Bengaluru, April 15 In a rare show of bonhomie, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress celebrated the 129th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna B.R. Ambedkar together amid the lockdown here on Tuesday.
"As Ambedkar is the architect of the Constitution, he is one of the country's tallest leaders above party lines and politics. All parties celebrate his birthday every year," a BJP official told here.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and party's state unit President D.K. Shivakumar joined Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Deputy Chief Minister Govid Karjol in paying tributes to Ambedkar and garlanding his statute at the state secretariat in the city centre.
Cabinet ministers and BJP leaders and leaders of the Congress were present on the occasion and greeted each other.
"JP Naddaji, thank you for accepting my non-partisan suggestion of taking a pledge to uphold the ideals and tenets of the Constitution by reading the Preamble on Ambedkar Jayanti," tweeted Shivakumar in response to the BJP national President's call on Sunday to his party's members to uphold the Constitution.
Nadda also directed the ruling party's members to distribute masks and ration kits to the poor to mark Ambedkar's birth anniversary.
"Nadda also directed BJP Chief Ministers and party's state heads across the country to release a video message to the public on the Dalit icon, garland his statute or photo and share it on social media," the party's state unit spokesman said.
The Congress held a special function at its party office in the city centre where its state leaders and cadres took pledge to uphold the ideals and tenets of the Constitution, drafted under the guidance of Ambedkar in 1949.
( With inputs from IANS )