Indian Christian group pays tribute to Ambedkar

(April 15, 2011) The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) paid glowing tributes to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution, on the occasion of his birth anniversary marked on Thursday. Indian Christian Theology is indebted to the philosophy of Dr. Ambedkar for invigorating contextual theologizing, said an NCCI statement. The social action movements in the country and those within the Christian church owe a great deal to the Ambedkarite ideologues for its focus on disadvantaged and sociologically-discriminated communities such as the Dalits. The NCCI joins all Ambedkarites in committing afresh to the abolition of caste in the Indian society. The statement said 13 million Christians in the country salute the memory of this great soul who campaigned against caste and untouchability. Ambedkar framed the provisions in the Indian constitution that guarantee special provisions for low castes for their advancement. The constitution lists low castes and tribals as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC and ST) to ensure their social equality.