Dr. B.R. Ambedkar did not personally "coin" (invent) the Ashoka Chakra symbol itself, but he played a key instrumental role in its adoption on India's national flag.b5f129
Thehindu
Background on the Symbol
The Ashoka Chakra (also called the Dharmachakra or Wheel of Dharma/Law) is an ancient symbol. It comes from the Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE) at Sarnath. It represents the Buddhist concept of Dharma (righteous path, moral order, and cosmic law), with its 24 spokes often interpreted as virtues, principles of life, or the continuous cycle of progress (movement and dynamism, as opposed to stagnation).114a62
Wikipedia
It was not a new invention in 1947; it was drawn from historical Buddhist and Indian iconography.
Ambedkar's Role in Its Adoption for the National Flag
In June 1947, the Constituent Assembly formed an Ad Hoc Committee on the National Flag, chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Members included Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari, and K.M. Munshi.b82a77
Testbook
The pre-independence Indian National Congress (Swaraj) flag, designed by Pingali Venkayya and promoted by Mahatma Gandhi, featured a charkha (spinning wheel) in the center, symbolizing self-reliance and the independence movement.
The committee recommended adopting the tricolour (saffron, white, green) but replacing the charkha with the Ashoka Chakra in navy blue. This was formally adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.60a543
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Ambedkar was a strong advocate for this change. As a member of the committee, he supported drawing from Buddhist heritage. Later, he explained (paraphrased from records): Even though Buddhism had declined in India, its culture provided richer symbols than alternatives from Brahminical traditions. The Wheel of Law (Dhammachakra) was chosen as a national symbol.8416b8
Ambedkarambeth
Many sources, including statements by leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, describe him as instrumental in incorporating the Dhamma Chakra/Ashoka Chakra to symbolize constant movement, progress, and ethical governance.afa4ba
Thehindu
Design Execution
Artist Surayya Tyabji (with her husband Badruddin Tyabji) is often credited with suggesting and refining the specific design—replacing the charkha with the Ashoka Chakra, finalizing colors, and preparing the first flags.c3751c Ambedkar's role was more in the committee decision-making and ideological push for the Buddhist-inspired symbol.
Wikipedia
Why This Choice?
It honored Emperor Ashoka's legacy of peace, non-violence, and moral governance after the Kalinga War.
It represented India's ancient heritage, unity, and forward momentum ("life in movement").
It moved beyond the Congress party's charkha while retaining continuity with the freedom struggle.90967e
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In summary, Dr. Ambedkar did not create the visual symbol but was pivotal in the political and constitutional decision to feature it prominently on India's flag as a timeless emblem of Dharma and progress. This reflects his deep appreciation for Buddhist principles, which also influenced his own life and conversion to Buddhism in 1956.
Equality • Justice • Constitution • Social Transformation
English:
This special edition combines verified news with educational features on Dalit, Adivasi, and Bahujan issues. It is intended to inform readers about constitutional rights, social justice, education, and community initiatives.
English India's Adivasi communities preserve rich traditions in language, ecology, crafts and sustainable living. Protecting indigenous knowledge is vital for future generations.
Celebrate the contributions of Dalit, Adivasi and Bahujan leaders.
Promote equality, fraternity and social harmony.
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Existing SC/ST quota benefits not lost even if caste later excluded from reservation list: Gujarat HC
The Court said parliament may modify or exclude a caste from the SC/ST list, but cannot divest individuals of reservation benefits that had already vested in them.
The Gujarat High Court recently held that removing a caste from the scheduled castes or scheduled tribes (SC/ST) list cannot take away reservation benefits already earned by individuals belonging to that caste [Employees' Provident Fund Organisation & Ors. v. Ranjit Vasantlal Makwana].
"History shows that silencing questions does not strengthen authority. It only deepens public resistance," VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar told The Indian Express.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi president Prakash Ambedkar. (Express Photo)
Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi president Prakash Ambedkar on Sunday criticised the police action against protesters in Delhi. “When peaceful protests seeking accountability from those in government are ruthlessly suppressed with force it signals authoritarianism,” he said.
Ambedkar also expressed strong disapproval over the manner in which educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken from Jantar Mantar to a Delhi hospital. The subsequent police lathi charge on students at the protest site, he said, was even more disturbing.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, Ambedkar said recent incidents reflected what he described as a growing tendency to suppress dissent.
“Whether it is the indefinite hunger strike by Sonam Wangchuk demanding accountability in the NEET paper leak case, the 15-day protest by Gond and Kol tribals in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district against eviction because of the Ken-Betwa link project, the police action against people demanding rightful rehabilitation, adequate compensation and protection of their land rights, or the use of force against students raising their voices, all these incidents reflect the tendency towards authoritarianism, suppressing dissenting voices, crushing dissent and ignoring serious questions,” he said.
Referring to Babasaheb Ambedkar’s final speech in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Prakash Ambedkar said his grandfather had stressed that democracy depended on constitutional methods for achieving social and political change.
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“Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar warned that democracy requires constitutional methods for achieving social and political change. He cautioned against abandoning these methods in favour of extra-constitutional means, while also making clear that democratic institutions must remain responsive to the voices and grievances of citizens,” he said.
He said his grandfather had also emphasised that political democracy could not survive without liberty, equality and fraternity. Citing what he called one of Babasaheb’s enduring principles, he added: “A democracy is ultimately tested not by how it treats agreement, but how it responds to disagreement.”
Drawing a parallel with previous governments, Ambedkar argued that suppressing dissent had never worked in the long run.
“There are instances of how suppression of dissent has not worked well for those in power in the long run. It happened with the Congress government. And now the BJP government has also restricted voices of opposition and curbed dissent like British rule,” he said.
‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Dera Sachkhand Ballan Head Sant Niranjan Dass on July 17, 2026 in Jalandhar, indicate the BJP’s Dalit outreach attempt, which has yet again renewed the debate surrounding Dalit-centric politics’. File photo: PMO via PTI
The Scheduled Caste (SC) community of Punjab is close to 32% of the total population of the State, the highest in the country, yet they remain politically marginalised, having produced only one Dalit Chief Minister and that too for a brief period in the year 2021.
With elections due in early 2027 in the State, mainstream parties, including the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), are once again courting Dalit voice.
Sivaji Ayyayi r kiam. UT News. The creamy layer concept, which excludes economically advanced individuals from reservation benefits, currently applies only to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in India (typically those with family income above ₹8 lakh per year). It does not apply to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) reservations. Supreme Court Observations (August 2024) In a landmark 6:1 majority judgment in State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh (1 August 2024), a seven-judge Constitution Bench allowed states to sub-classify SC/ST groups to provide more targeted quotas to the most disadvantaged sub-groups. Several judges (including Justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, and others) observed that states should identify and exclude a "creamy layer" (socially/economically advanced sections) within SC/ST from reservation benefits, arguing this would ensure benefits reach the truly needy and achieve "real equality." They suggested criteria for SC/ST creamy ...
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