New Delhi [India], December 18: Opposition MPs, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in the Parliament premises today, condemning Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on Babasaheb Ambedkar made during the Rajya Sabha debate on the Constitution.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Varsha Gaikwad, Kumari Selja, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and RJD MP Manoj Sinha were among those who participated in the protest, with several carrying pictures of Dr. Ambedkar. They accused Shah of insulting Ambedkar’s legacy in his speech the previous day.
Shah had criticized the Congress for frequently invoking Ambedkar’s name, calling it a “fashion” for the party. “If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, they would have earned heaven for seven lives,” Shah remarked.
In response, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh described Shah’s comments as a grave insult to Dr. Ambedkar, asserting that the BJP was using Nehru’s name to deflect attention from issues like inflation, unemployment, and social inequality. Ramesh said, “To escape the present-day challenges, they have to chant Nehru’s name. If they don’t, people will ask them what they are doing about inflation, unemployment, and inequalities.”
He further added, “Yesterday, the Home Minister gravely insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar by saying that it would have been better if people had chanted the name of God. If this isn’t an insult to Dr. Ambedkar, then what is? The truth is that the BJP, the Prime Minister, and the Home Minister repeatedly insult Ambedkar and blame the Congress party instead.”
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also strongly criticized Shah’s comments, stating that the nation will respond to such hatred toward Ambedkar. Singh expressed on social media, “How much Amit Shah, Modi, and the entire BJP hate Baba Saheb Ambedkar… such hatred on hearing Baba Saheb’s name… the nation will respond. Amit Shah ji will definitely respond.”
The protest led to the adjournment of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha till 2 PM.