Mumbai | Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were among the leaders who paid rich tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, on his death anniversary here on Friday.

Lakhs of followers of Dr Ambedkar converged at his memorial 'Chaityabhoomi' at Shivaji Park in Mumbai's Dadar area to pay tributes to the social reformer on his death anniversary, observed as the 'Mahaparinirvan Din'.

The governor and the chief minister paid floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar at the Chaityabhoomi, where deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were also present. Chaityabhoomi is the final resting place of Dr Ambedkar.

In a post on X, Fadnavis, who took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening, said, "Humble tributes to a great visionary, an ocean of knowledge, the architect of the Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on Mahaparinirvan Din." Deputy CM Shinde said in a social media post that Ambedkar was the architect of the Indian Constitution who laid the foundation of modern India.

Deputy CM Pawar said in his X post that Ambedkar made the Constitution of India which laid the foundation of human values. "He taught unity, equality, brotherhood and justice to the entire human race. By adopting the thoughts of Babasaheb, we are committed to take everyone forward in the journey of equal justice and development," he said.

NCP (SP) chief and former Union minister Sharad Pawar said, "Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who created a people's state in India by writing a democratic Constitution, made his invaluable contribution to eradicate social discrimination and fought for the rights of workers and women. Millions of salutations to the creator of modern India on Mahaparinirvan Din.