“A display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset…”: Mamata Banerjee Slams Amit Shah Over Ambedkar Remarks, Accuses BJP of Casteist Agenda

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of passing derogatory comments about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Banerjee condemned Shah’s remarks as an insult to Ambedkar and the millions who look up to him as a source of guidance and inspiration.

“The mask has fallen! As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to TARNISH this occasion with DEROGATORY remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of Democracy,” said Banerjee, taking to social media platform X.

Banerjee accused the BJP of harboring a "casteist" and "anti-Dalit" mindset. She further stated, “This is a display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would’ve inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They’d have rewritten history to entirely erase Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions.”

In addition, Mamata Banerjee underscored the significance of Ambedkar’s legacy and said, “Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the Father of the Constitution. This outrageous remark is not only an outright attack on him but on all members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, which symbolized India’s unity in diversity with members from all castes, creeds, ethnicities, and religions.”

A massive political controversy erupted after Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a remark on Tuesday, suggesting that the Congress had turned the name of Ambedkar into a "fashion." "If they had taken the name of God as many times as they take Ambedkar's name, they would have reached heaven for seven lives," Shah said. This remark sparked outrage within the opposition, with Congress members protesting in Parliament.

Shah’s remarks led to widespread outrage, especially among opposition leaders. The Congress, leading the protest, demanded Shah’s resignation, accusing him of insulting Ambedkar and undermining the Constitution.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, condemned Shah’s remarks and demanded an apology. "He has insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. His ideology of Manusmriti and RSS makes it clear that he does not want to respect Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Constitution," Kharge said. He went on to add, “We condemn this, and we demand his resignation. All the parties demand his resignation. He should apologise to the country... If he keeps talking like this, the entire country will be under fire because people will not tolerate Babasaheb Ambedkar’s insult. He should resign from his position,” Kharge asserted.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi expressed strong disapproval of Shah's comments. Gandhi, in a post on X, suggested that those who follow Manusmriti are fundamentally opposed to Ambedkar’s vision.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came out in support of Amit Shah and took a swipe at the Congress-led opposition's protest over the Home Minister’s comments on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Modi accused the Congress of using "dirty tricks" to erase the legacy of the Dalit icon and insult the architect of India’s Constitution.

In a series of six tweets on X, the Prime Minister stated that the Congress and its "rotten ecosystem" were mistaken if they believed their "malicious lies" could conceal the party’s long-standing insults toward Ambedkar. "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," Modi wrote.​