NEW DELHI: Representatives of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), at their meeting at BJP president J P Nadda’s residence, are said to have resolved to present a united front against the opposition’s recent criticism on the BR Ambedkar issue.
This meeting, held on the birth centenary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saw an assembly of key figures including home minister Amit Shah, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and leaders from various NDA constituents.
The row erupted from what Shah described as a “doctored” version of his statement during a recent parliamentary session, which was leveraged by opposition parties to allege disrespect towards the Dalit icon. According to sources, Shah stressed the need for a coherent counter-narrative to dismantle what he termed an attempt by the opposition to create a “fake narrative”. He said his statements were misrepresented and were aimed to sow discord and political unrest.
A senior party functionary said, “The Ambedkar issue was integral to the discussion. It came up that Congress MPs did not react when Shah, in his speech in RS, made the remark. But later, Congress representative held a meeting where Rahul Gandhi was present and they decided to make the remark an issue to be highlighted. The way things progressed indicates Congress conspired to make Shah’s comment an issue only to draw attention.”