Senior journalist and social activist Suresh Badiger has said that B.R. Ambedkar was the first to lay a strong foundation for all the women-centric policies being pursued by the Union Government and also, State Governments.
Delivering a special lecture on Dr. Ambedkar as part of the 131st birth anniversary celebrations of the late leader organised by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Department of English and Department of Kannada at the Sharnbasva University here on Wednesday, Mr. Badiger said that Dr. Ambedkar had resigned from the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet when his proposed Hindu Code Bill providing special rights and privileges to women was rejected by the then Prime Minister.
He said that the Hindu Code Bill framed by Dr. Ambedkar was the first concrete Bill extending the right over ancestral property to women, maternity leave of six months and other benefits. “However, Nehru had rejected the Bill citing various reasons,” he said.
Protesting against this, Dr. Ambedkar resigned as Union Law and Justice Minister immediately. Later, the subsequent Governments at the Centre were forced to adopt women-centric proposals made in the Bill paving the way for restoring due and full rights to women, he said.
Mr. Badiger said that it was Dr. Ambedkar who had first suggested the introduction of old age pension for women and this proposal was adopted by Indira Gandhi when she became Prime Minister. “The credit for old age pension should rightfully go to Dr. Ambedkar,” he added.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university V.D. Mytri presided over the event. Dean of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department T.V. Sivanandan was present.
