Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks amid the massive row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar had rubbed “salt on the wound”. Mr Kejriwal said he was “shocked” after reading the Prime Minister’s six-point thread on the uproar over Mr Shah’s remarks.
“You are saying the Congress did wrong by Baba Saheb. So how does this give you, your party, or your Home Minister the right to insult Baba Saheb? If Congress treated Baba Saheb wrongly? you will do so too? What kind of a clarification is this, coming from the Prime Minister?” the AAP leader said. “The country is outraged over the way your Home Minister insulted Baba Saheb in Parliament. And your statement has sprinkled salt on the wound.”
Mr Kejriwal’s remarks come against the backdrop of the upcoming Delhi election and the AAP would be looking to corner the Opposition BJP on this issue. Earlier, the AAP leader had hit out at Amit Shah over his remarks. “Amit Shah ji, Baba Saheb is no less than a god for every child in this country. We don’t know about heaven, but if Baba Saheb’s Constitution were not there, you would not let the oppressed and Dalits live on earth,” he said in a post this morning.
At an AAP protest later, Mr Kejriwal reiterated that BR Ambedkar is god for Dalits. “I consider Ambedkar my idol. Not just me, my party too. Amit Shah has hurt our sentiments. The way the PM has come to Amit Shah’s defence shows it was a conspiracy by BJP. BJP supporters must choose if they are with BJP or with Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.
The AAP leader demanded strict action against Amit Shah and said AAP would take this issue to every home in Delhi ahead of the Assembly election due in February.
Leading the BJP’s firefight amid the Opposition’s all-out offensive on the issue, the Prime Minister has said the people have seen how the Congress has tried “every possible trick” to obliterate BR Ambedkar’s legacy and humiliate Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In a six-point thread on X, the Prime Minister said the Congress and its “rotten ecosystem” were “gravely mistaken” if they thought “malicious lies” could hide their insult of the architect of the Constitution. “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken! The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities,” the Prime Minister said.
Sharing a video of Mr Shah’s remarks, the Prime Minister said the Home Minister had “exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities”. “They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth,” he said.
Stressing that his government has worked tirelessly to fulfill the vision of Dr Ambedkar, the Prime Minister said, “When it comes to Dr. Ambedkar, our respect and reverence is absolute.”
Mr Shah’s remarks, which are at the centre of this row, were made in Rajya Sabha yesterday during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution. “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they took God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven,” he said.
“Take his name 100 times more, but I want to say what are your sentiments about him.” He said BR Ambedkar had to resign from the first Cabinet following his disagreement with the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government.
Leaders of the Congress and other Opposition parties have accused Mr Shah of insulting the Dalit icon. When the Parliament met today, MPs from Opposition parties, held photos of BR Ambedkar and staged a protest. While BJP leaders accused the Congress of circulating a short video clip that did not show Mr Shah’s remarks on how the Congress allegedly sidelined BR Ambedkar, Opposition leaders stepped up the attack on the ruling party and demanded the Home Minister’s resignation.