The Ambedkar Mahasabha on Saturday conferred on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath the ‘Dalit Mitr’ award on the occasion of the 127th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.

On the occasion, the UP CM recalled the work done by the Dalit icon in the upliftment of the marginalised sections of the society. At a ceremony organised in Lucknow, the CM paid floral tributes to the father of the Indian Constitution at the Ambedkar statue located in the heart of the city.

He later visited the office of the Mahasabha for a ceremony.

“Babasaheb set an example for the society by completing his higher education in spite of the numerous hurdles in his path. He is an inspiration for us all,” the CM reportedly said.

Adityanath also slammed those who resorted to violence during the 2 April Bharat Bandh called by Dalit organisations. He said that none of the guilty will be spared. The CM also assured that no innocent will be harassed in the quest for justice.

Highlighting the work done by the central and the state governments, Adityanath reportedly said that it was only during the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Babasaheb actually got the respect he deserves. He said that the Modi government has helped 35 crore poor Dalits to open bank accounts.

“Babasaheb made many provisions in the Constitution for the upliftment of the poor and the marginalised. The nation will be forever indebted to him,” a message in a tweet posted from the official handle of the CM read.

But not everyone was pleased with the award being conferred to the firebrand leader from Gorakhpur.

Reports say that the police detained Dalit activist SR Darapuri, and retired IAS officer Harish Chandra, Gajodhar Prasad and NS Chaurasiya from the gates of Mahasabha for protesting against the move.

All of them are members of the Dalit body. They alleged that Dalit atrocities have been on the rise in the past one year while adding that the decision to honour the CM was taken by the president of the body without consulting other members.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma were present at the Mahasabha office on the occasion.