Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove him from the Union Cabinet by midnight if he truly respected the Dalit icon.
Slamming the Congress for repeatedly taking the name of BR Ambedkar, Shah had on Tuesday said in his speech in Rajya Sabha that "if they had taken God's name so many times they would have earned a place in heaven".
"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 fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," Shah had said.
The opposition vociferously condemned the statement and called it an insult to the Father of our constitution.
Protests erupted in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with Congress and other opposition parties alleging Shah's remarks were disrespectful to Ambedkar. The uproar led to adjournments in both Houses.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Kharge called for Shah’s apology and warned that there would be widespread protests if the Prime Minister failed to take action.
"Our demand is that Amit Shah should apologise, and if PM Modi truly has faith in Dr. Ambedkar, he must be sacked by midnight. He has no right to remain in the Cabinet. If he is not removed, the people will protest. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for Dr Ambedkar,” Kharge said.
Kharge accused the BJP, including PM Modi and Amit Shah, of upholding the values of Manusmriti over those of the Constitution. He alleged that the remarks insulted not only Dr Ambedkar but also Dalits and the citizens of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier on Wednesday strongly defended Shah against the Congress allegations of insulting Dr BR Ambedkar.
Modi asserted that Shah's remarks had exposed Congress' "dark history" of disrespecting the architect of the Indian Constitution, leaving the opposition "stung and stunned."
In a series of posts on X, Modi said, "They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics. Sadly, for them, people know the truth." He emphasised that his government's respect and reverence for Ambedkar were "absolute."
Modi accused the party and its "rotten ecosystem" of trying to hide their "malicious lies" and decades-long mistreatment of Ambedkar. He highlighted that the Congress had humiliated Ambedkar by orchestrating his electoral defeats, denying him a Bharat Ratna, and failing to give his portrait a prominent place in Parliament's Central Hall.
Modi also pointed out that the worst atrocities against SC/ST communities occurred during Congress-led regimes. "For years, they sat in power but did nothing substantive to empower the SC and ST communities," he said.
The Prime Minister listed his government’s initiatives to honour Ambedkar’s legacy, including developing "Panchteerth" (five iconic sites associated with Ambedkar), resolving a long-standing issue over land for "Chaitya Bhoomi" where Ambedkar was cremated, and preserving the sites where Ambedkar lived, including in London and Delhi.
