NEW DELHI, Dec 18: On Wednesday, numerous MPs from the INDIA bloc, including Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, conducted a protest on the Parliament grounds, seeking an apology from Home Minister Amit Shah for remarks they considered disrespectful to B R Ambedkar.
The MPs gathered at the Makar Dwar steps of Parliament while holding images of Ambedkar.
They shouted phrases like ‘Jai Bhim’, ‘Sangh ka Vidhan nahi chalega’ and ‘Amit Shah maafi maango’.
Members from Congress, DMK, RJD, the Left, AAP, among others, took part in the demonstration.
On Tuesday, the Congress party accused Shah of expressing sentiments in the Rajya Sabha during a constitutional debate that revealed a deep-seated “hatred” from BJP and RSS leaders towards Ambedkar, and they demanded an apology.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi remarked that those who adhere to Manusmriti would naturally be at odds with Ambedkar.
Congress general secretary for communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a video clip on X from Shah’s speech in the upper house.
Shah stated, “Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai – Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a trend to repeat Ambedkar’s name so many times. Had they invoked God’s name similarly, they would have attained heaven),” while critiquing the opposition.
Congress president Kharge also condemned Shah, asserting that the home minister’s “insult” of Babasaheb underscores the BJP-RSS’s opposition to the tricolour, with their ancestors resisting the Ashok Chakra, and their desire to impose Manusmriti over the Indian Constitution.
“Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar Ji prevented this from happening, which is why there is so much animosity toward him,” Kharge noted.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge emphasized that for millions, Babasaheb Ambedkar is revered like a deity… He will always be the champion for Dalits, tribal people, backward classes, minorities, and the underprivileged, he stated.
The home minister criticized the Congress in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, claiming the party views the Constitution as a “private property” of a single family and has “deceived” Parliament.
Wrapping up a two-day discussion on the “Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India”, Shah took aim at the Congress for its policies of appeasement, alleging that the party seeks to breach the 50 percent quota limit to extend reservations to Muslims.
He further questioned whether the Congress endorses Muslim personal law and accused the party of neglecting the welfare of backward classes. Shah affirmed that the BJP has already implemented a common civil code (Uniform Civil Code) in Uttarakhand and aims to extend it across all states. (Agencies)
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