Amit Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar, during a speech in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, faced staunch criticism from the opposition parties. Accusing Union Minister Amit Shah of insulting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the opposition demanded an apology from his side and also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “remove him before night.”
The Remarks: –
Amit Shah’s remarks came when he was giving a speech at the two-day debate in Rajya Sabha over the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India.’ The home minister said, “Abhi ek fashion ho gaya h- Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…. Itna naam Bhagwan ka lete toh saat janmon tak swarg mil jata.” “Now it has become a fashion—Ambedkar, Ambedkar.”… If you had chanted God’s name so much, you would have gone to heaven for seven births.” It is this short excerpt from his speech that generated heat among the opposition parties.
Opposition parties, i.e., Congress, TMC, and AAP, staged a protest outside the parliament building, carrying Ambedkar’s posters and raising slogans like “Amit Shah maafi mango,” “Ambedkar ka apman Nahi sahega Hindustan,” “Amit Shah should apologize,” and “India will not tolerate the insult of Ambedkar.”
He further in his speech added, “We are happy that Ambedkar’s name is being taken,” before listing the congress’s “injustices” towards him.
The Opposition:
These remarks became trouble seekers for the BJP and Amit Shah himself. Opposition from the INDI Alliance and many others came directly towards the ideology of the BJP, and even PM Narendra Modi was not left out from it.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening at the AICC headquarters, Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge said, “We want an apology from Amit Shah. And we want Modi ji to remove him before midnight, if he has any respect for the constitution. Only then will people be quiet… Otherwise, there are people who are willing to die for Babasaheb. There is no question of caste. Ambedkar is for all.”
The congress leader cautioned that ‘if Amit Shah was not removed from the cabinet, protests will be held across the country.”
“Those who believe in Manusmriti will surely have a problem with Ambedkar ji,” Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, said on Tuesday night. While the comparison of Amit Shah’s remarks is being made from the Manusmriti, many are questioning their belief in the constitution as Amit Shah spoke about heaven and hell.
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal also led a protest near the BJP headquarters, saying Shah’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of crores of Dalits and urged for a “strict action” against him.
Meanwhile, on the question of Amit Shah’s remarks, Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar said, “His remarks reflected the ‘same old mentality” of the BJP.
BSP’s Mayawati accused both Congress and BJP of using Ambedkar’s name for their political gains in a statement.
The list is long, and so are the criticisms. Cong’s latest MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra; Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin; Congress MP K C Venugopal; AAP’s Sanjay Singh; actor-turned politician Vijay; and many more are criticizing Amit Shah and demanding his resignation from the cabinet.
BJP’s firm stand:
BJP’s stand is firm on the remarks of Amit Shah, as it says that the Congress and other parties are distorting his statement and misinterpreting it as per their own convenience for political benefits.
Shah, on his part, held a press conference on Wednesday evening to reject the opposition’s charge against him while the BJP shared with the media what it said was proof of the Congress having worked “against” Ambedkar—a point underlined by Shah in his Rajya Sabha speech.
Shah said in the press conference, “My statement was presented in a distorted manner.” He also questioned Mallikarjun Kharge’s support for this “nefarious” effort of the Congress, as he comes from the group Babasaheb dedicated his life to. He said, “I am very sad that you have also joined this under the pressure of Rahul Gandhi.”
In his posts on the social media platform X, PM Modi said, “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken! The people of India have seen time and again how one party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities.”
“The list of the Congress’ sins towards Dr. Ambedkar includes getting him defeated in elections not once but twice. Pandit Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue. Denying him a Bharat Ratna. Denying his portrait a place of pride in Parliament’s Central Hall”, he further added in a different post.
The Congress is pressing hard for a countrywide protest against the remarks of Amit Shah. Today’s session of parliament also got adjourned due to these protests by Congress and others. According to sources, push and shove also happened between the BJP MPs and Congress MPs at the Makar Dwar of the new parliament building.
