Punjab Bjp Panch Teerath Yatra Ambedkar Dalit Voters

With the Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched its Panch Teerath Yatra, an eight-day pilgrimage tour to places associated with Dr B R Ambedkar's life and legacy. Three buses carrying around 150 pilgrims from different parts of Punjab were flagged off from the BJP's state headquarters in Chandigarh. According to party leaders, the entire cost of the tour, including transportation, boarding, lodging and food, will be borne by the Punjab BJP. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said the yatra is aimed at familiarising people with the life, struggles and contributions of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He said, "The pilgrimage circuit, known as the Panch Teerath, was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2016 and consists of five locations closely associated with Ambedkar. These include Mhow in Madhya Pradesh's Indore City, Ambedkar's birthplace; Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur, where he embraced Buddhism; Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi in Delhi, where he passed away; Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai, where he was cremated; and the house in London where he lived during his student years." "More than Rs 2,000 crore has been spent on preserving and developing these sites. The Modi government has created memorials, museums and visitor facilities to ensure that future generations understand Baba Saheb's contribution to the nation," Dhillon said. He added that while pilgrims would physically visit the sites in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi, a virtual tour of Ambedkar's London residence would also be arranged during the journey. The buses will first travel to Mhow in Madhya Pradesh before proceeding to Nagpur and Mumbai in Maharashtra and then to Delhi before returning to Punjab. Punjab BJP SC Morcha president and retired IAS officer S R Ladhar said the programme would continue in the coming months. "Three buses will be sent every two months and the entire expenditure will be borne by the Punjab BJP," he said. Political observers view the initiative as significant in the run-up to the Assembly elections, particularly because Punjab has the highest proportion of the Scheduled Caste population among Indian states. According to the 2011 Census, Scheduled Castes account for 31.9 per cent of the state's population. Dhillon used the occasion to contrast the BJP's initiative with previous governments. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the initiative to develop these sites, while Congress governments made no serious effort in this direction. We have also provided educational material to the pilgrims so that they can better understand the historical importance of these places," he said. Punjab government's pilgrimage scheme The launch of the BJP's Panch Teerath Yatra comes at a time when the Punjab government is already running the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Scheme, under which pilgrims aged 50 years and above are provided free travel to religious destinations, including the Golden Temple, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Chintpurni, Naina Devi, Haridwar, and Rishikesh. Introduced in November 2023 for senior citizens aged 60 and above, the scheme was later expanded and relaunched in January this year for people aged 50 years and above. However, BJP leaders chose not to comment on the state government's pilgrimage programme and instead focused on highlighting the Ambedkar heritage circuit. Over the years, the Panch Teerath initiative has evolved beyond a heritage project into a broader social and educational programme. Several BJP-ruled states have incorporated visits to the Ambedkar circuit into their welfare and pilgrimage schemes. Madhya Pradesh has included the sites under its Mukhyamantri Teerth-Darshan Yojana, while Rajasthan has launched a dedicated Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Panch Teertha Yojana, said party leaders.