New Delhi: The Congress party has organized a nationwide protest scheduled for Thursday, demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This action arises from controversy surrounding his comments about B.R. Ambedkar, which he made on Tuesday during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. Protests will be held across the country at all Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) in both state and district headquarters, as reported by the news agency ANI.
Amit Shah’s statements regarding B.R. Ambedkar have ignited significant political contention, with the Congress-led opposition leveraging these remarks to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.
The backlash has been widespread, involving nearly all opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD, Left parties, and Shiv Sena-UBT, resulting in the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday. In response, the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has come to Amit Shah’s defense.
Amit Shah’s comments about B.R. Ambedkar originated from his assertion in the Rajya Sabha that Congress leaders would have found favor in heaven had they focused on invoking God’s name instead of adhering to the “trend of repeating Ambedkar’s name.”
A trend has emerged where the name Ambedkar is frequently mentioned—Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If such reverence had been shown towards God, one would attain a place in heaven for seven lifetimes, Shah remarked.
Amit Shah expressed that the BJP welcomes the Congress’s acknowledgment of Ambedkar, but he urged the party to clarify its genuine feelings towards him.
Amit Shah’s comments regarding Ambedkar sparked a significant political controversy, with the Congress and other opposition parties calling for his resignation, deeming his statements disrespectful to the architect of the Constitution.
The uproar in Parliament extended to protests in various locations, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu. In Delhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal led a large gathering outside the BJP office, chanting slogans demanding an apology from Amit Shah.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi truly respected Ambedkar, he should dismiss the home minister immediately if Shah does not resign voluntarily.
In response to the intense criticism from the opposition, PM Modi defended Amit Shah on Wednesday, asserting, “If the Congress and its corrupt ecosystem believe their deceitful narratives can obscure their long-standing misdeeds, particularly their disrespect towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are profoundly mistaken.”
“The citizens of India have repeatedly witnessed how one party, dominated by a single dynasty, has resorted to every conceivable tactic to erase Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy and demean the SC/ST communities,” PM Modi stated in a message on X.
Amit Shah also conducted a press conference on Wednesday, accusing the Congress of being “anti-BR Ambedkar and anti-Constitution.”
