NEW DELHI: The opposition on Wednesday opened a new front against the Centre over home minister Amit Shah’s alleged insult of B R Ambedkar. It held noisy protests in Parliament, leading to both Houses being adjourned and drawing a sharp retaliation from govt MPs.
Leading the counter-offensive, PM Modi dismissed opposition’s demand for Shah’s resignation as “theatrics” and asserted that the rival party and its “rotten ecosystem” were spreading “falsehoods” because the home minister had exposed its misdeeds towards the Dalit icon. Shah accused Congress of circulating a “doctored” version of his Rajya Sabha speech and said BJP was exploring all legal options in response. “The party is serious about it,” he said at a press conference, emphasising that he belonged to a party which would never insult Ambedkar.
Shah also reminded everyone that Ambedkar had to quit the first cabinet led by J L Nehru due to his disagreement with then Cong-led govt’s policies, including Art 370. Shah also said most of the memorials of Ambedkar were built when BJP came to office. However, opposition’s attack on Shah remained unrelenting with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying it was India’s misfortune that a Dalit icon was mocked by the HM. The intent to target Shah & BJP was evident when TMC’s Derek O’Brien filed a privilege notice against him in RS.
Uproar over Ambedkar stalls both Houses, TMC moves privilege notice against Shah
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned without transacting any business on Wednesday due to noisy protests with Congress members seeking an apology from home minister Amit Shah for allegedly making disparaging remarks against B R Ambedkar.
In Rajya Sabha, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien submitted a privilege notice against Shah under Rule 187.
The notice quoted the home minister’s statement in the Upper House on Tuesday during his reply to a debate on 75 years of the Constitution. TMC also demanded an unconditional apology from Shah in Parliament.
As soon as Lok Sabha proceedings began, Congress members Manickam Tagore and Hibi Eden led the sloganeering over Shah’s remarks and trooped into the well, displaying posters of Ambedkar and raising slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’. When BJP members opened the House post-adjournment with chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, the opposition replied in unison with “Jai Bhim”. Members of opposition parties stood at their seats in support of Congress. Some members of the INDIA bloc were also in the well. Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi was present in the House along with his sibling and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal sought to counter Congress, saying the party had always insulted Ambedkar and ensured his defeat in a Lok Sabha election. It resulted in further sloganeering.
In Rajya Sabha, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and leader of the House J P Nadda strongly defended Shah’s references to Ambedkar after leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought an apology from the home minister for “insulting” the Dalit icon.
They said the remarks were being projected by Congress in a distorted way and were clearly “an expression of our sense of reverence” for Ambedkar. Rijiju and Nadda not only rubbished the opposition’s “insult” charge, but also accused Congress of having insulted Ambedkar both in his lifetime and after.
Responding to noisy protests in the morning, Rijiju said Congress had not bothered to honour Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna, which was conferred on him in 1990 by a BJP-backed govt.
“In 1952, Congress worked to ensure his defeat in Lok Sabha election; not only this, it was also responsible for Ambedkar’s defeat in a Vidharbha bypoll later,” he said. “Baba Saheb (Ambedkar) would have been a member of Parliament (after 1952). By defeating him twice, you deceived the nation. You are pretending to speak up for Baba Saheb, but only using his name for political and electoral gains,” Rijiju said. The charge was reiterated by Nadda in the post-recess sitting, who said Congress had repeatedly backstabbed Ambedkar.