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“He should apologise to the people…”: Kharge Demands Amit Shah's Resignation over Ambedkar Remark; BJP Hits Back
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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday called for the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of insulting Dalit icon Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Parliament. Kharge strongly condemned Shah's statement, claiming it disrespected both Ambedkar and the Constitution. The BJP, however, quickly accused the opposition of misinterpreting Shah's remarks.
"He has insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. His ideology of Manusmriti and RSS makes it clear that he does not wish to respect the Constitution created by Baba Saheb Ambedkar," Kharge said. He went on to demand an apology from Shah, urging him to step down from his position. "We condemn this, and we demand his resignation. He should apologise to the people of the country," Kharge added.
In addition, Kharge took a swipe at the BJP, accusing the party of making it a "crime" to even mention Ambedkar's name under its rule. "When Amit Shah was speaking about Dr. Ambedkar, he said, 'You people keep chanting the name of Ambedkar 100 times, but if you had taken the name of God that many times, you would have gone to heaven seven times,'" Kharge explained. "This suggests that taking Baba Saheb Ambedkar's name is now a crime. It is clear that the BJP intends to undermine the Constitution created by Baba Saheb. I protested this but was not given the chance to speak," he added.
The BJP quickly responded, with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accusing Congress of disrespecting Ambedkar. Rijiju claimed that Congress had failed to award Ambedkar the Bharat Ratna for many years and had defeated him in elections through a conspiracy.
"The Congress party did not confer the Bharat Ratna on Baba Saheb for so long, and they also insulted him by defeating him in the 1952 election," Rijiju stated. He referred to Ambedkar’s defeat in that election and in a subsequent by-election in Vidarbha, implying that Congress had actively worked against Ambedkar’s political career. "If Congress had not defeated him, Baba Saheb would have been a member of Parliament after 1952," Rijiju argued.
Rijiju also addressed the issue of the supposed distortion of Shah’s comments, which had triggered the controversy. He claimed that the opposition was twisting Shah’s words. "A small clip of Shah's Rajya Sabha speech was circulated, distorting what he actually said. This is wrong, and I condemn it," Rijiju stated, defending Shah’s remarks.
The controversy erupted after 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.
