New Delhi [India], February 25: Atishi, the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of replacing the photo of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Chief Minister’s office and other ministerial offices in the Delhi Secretariat.
Atishi sharply criticized the move, questioning if the BJP believed that PM Modi could replace Ambedkar’s significance. “The BJP has removed the photo of Babasaheb from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office, as well as from all the minister’s offices in the Secretariat, replacing it with the photo of PM Modi. I want to ask the BJP, do they think PM Modi is bigger than Babasaheb Ambedkar? Do they believe Modi can replace Babasaheb Ambedkar?” she stated.
Atishi also referred to remarks made by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha last December, which she claimed mocked Ambedkar. “This is the same party whose Home Minister, Amit Shah, mocked Babasaheb in Parliament. Today, we want to know what they think of Ambedkar ji,” Atishi added.
Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi had made similar accusations. However, in response, Delhi BJP leader Rekha Gupta denied the allegations, asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was using these claims to divert attention from its alleged corruption. Gupta defended the move to replace the photos, saying, “This is their tactic to hide their corruption behind Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Shouldn’t the photo of the Head of Government, the President of the country, and the Father of the Nation, Gandhi ji, be displayed? Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb are respected figures, and as the CM’s office, it is fitting for the Head of the Government’s photo to be present. I am answerable to the people, not to them.”