Oppn flays Amit Shah for Ambedkar remarks, O’Brien files privilege motion

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien submitted a privilege notice today against Union home minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Dr B.R. Ambedkar, a source claimed.

According to the source, the notice has been filed under Rule 187 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Rajya Sabha. The notice also quoted the statement the home minister made in the Upper House on Tuesday, 17 December, during his speech in the debate marking 75 years of the Constitution of India.

Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed protests from the Congress and some other opposition parties over Shah's alleged insult of Ambedkar, resulting in both Houses being adjourned.

Mocking the Congress for repeatedly invoking B.R. Ambedkar, Shah said that had they taken God's name as many times, they could have earned a place in heaven for seven generations of their descendants by now.

"Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai — Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (it has become a fashion to say 'Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. Had they taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven for seven generations/rebirths by now)," Shah had said.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who led the INDIA bloc in a protest demo outside Parliament bearing portraits of the Father of the Indian Constitution, retorted today, saying Ambedkar's name was synonymous with human rights and dignity for crores of disprivileged and Dalit citizens of India.

Herding cattle, selling scrap: Siddaramaiah

Writing an open letter to the Union home minister, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah suggested that but for Baba Ambedkar, he himself 'might have been herding cattle' in his village and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would perhaps have been working in a factory rather than leading the grand old party — while Amit Shah himself sold scrap in his hometown and PM Narendra Modi would 'still be selling tea at a railway station'.

'First, let me congratulate you for finally speaking the truth by openly revealing the BJP's real opinion about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Your statement didn’t surprise us; we already knew your party’s true mindset,' the Karnataka CM said in his letter.

'As long as we breathe, as long as the Sun and Moon shine on this Earth, Ambedkar's legacy will endure,' Siddaramaiah said in the letter.

'The more you try to diminish his memory, the stronger it will rise to guide us forward. While your sycophants might have clapped at your arrogance, remember this: millions across this country who have gained equality and dignity because of Babasaheb are condemning you.

'Let me respond in your tone,' he continued. 'Your party and its ideological family have now developed a fashion to chant "Modi... Modi... Modi." If only you had invoked the name of God as many times as you chant Modi’s name, you might have secured a place in heaven—not just for seven lifetimes, but for a hundred. Perhaps even your sins, committed solely for clinging to power, might have been forgiven.'

Of the home minister’s BJP–RSS backing and reservations in Parliament

The Maharashtra legislative council, also in session, saw a similar protest by the Opposition as outside the national Parliament today. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded prime minister Narendra Modi take action against his errant home minister — even as he alleged Shah would not have dared to make such remarks about Ambedkar without the backing of the BJP and the RSS.

Thackeray also wondered whether the whether the BJP's allies — the Telugu Desam Party, the JD(U), Ramdas Athawale's RPI and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena — agreed with Shah's "arrogant" remarks.

Meanwhile, in Patna, Bihar, the RJD not only sought an apology from only Amit Shah but demanded the resignation of union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi — both Dalit leaders from Bihar who were found smiling at Shah's remarks — as well as the other 100 Dalit MPs in Parliament.

"The language used by Amit Shah was unbecoming of his high office," said We demand an apology from him for hurting the sentiments of the country's 90 per cent population which revers Ambedkar. We also urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack him from the cabinet," RJD state vice president Shiv Chandra Ram said.

Much like Siddaramaiah, Ram too spoke of the better life that he, a cobbler's son, could build thanks to Baba Ambedkar.

"There are more than 100 MPs in Parliament elected from seats reserved for Scheduled Castes. I call upon all of them to resign in protest against Shah's remarks. I also want the leader who is fond of calling himself a lion cub (sher ka beta)... to break his silence on the matter," he said.

"Chirag Paswan and Manjhi are two leaders who claim to be champions of Dalits and used the image as a plank to build their family empires. I challenge these leaders to come clean on their collusion with the anti-reservation stance of BJP–RSS," he added. 

In Kolkata, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said Amit Shah's remarks were but a display of the entire BJP's "casteist and anti-Dalit mindset".

'The mask has fallen! As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to TARNISH this occasion with DEROGATORY remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of Democracy,' she posted on X.

'HM Amit Shah’s remarks are an insult to the millions who look up to Babasaheb for guidance and inspiration. But what else can you expect from a party that has internalised HATE and BIGOTRY?,' Banerjee continued.

'Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the Father of the Constitution, this outrageous remark is not only an outright attack on him but all members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, which symbolised India’s unity in diversity with members from all castes, creeds, ethnicities, and religions,' she concluded.

Her TMC colleagues would go on to demand Amit Shah's unconditional apology this day, culminating in O'Brien's privilege motion.

The support of one's peers

Modi, meanwhile, has been staunch in support of Shah — and accused the Congress instead of having the "dark history of insulting" Ambedkar, rather than the RSS–BJP. "When it comes to Dr. Ambedkar, our respect and reverence is absolute," the PM hastened to claim.

"... a small clip of [Amit Shah's] Rajya Sabha speech was under circulation, distorting what he said. It was wrong. I condemn it," parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters in New Delhi, dismissive.

He was referring to the clip from Parliament of Amit Shah's speech, shared by Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh.  

It wasn't immediately clear who or what precisely he was condemning and what he thought the 'distortion' was.

Ramesh, meanwhile, presented an excerpt from a book on Ambedkar today, sharing Babasaheb's own thoughts on a 'plot to defeat him in the 1st Lok Sabha elections from Bombay North reserved seat was hatched by Dange and Savarkar, who was inflamed by his proposal for the partition of Kashmir'.

This, he said, was to counter the master 'distorians'.

The Bahujans watch and wait

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati accused both the BJP and the Congress of exploiting B.R. Ambedkar's name for political gains while failing to genuinely respect or honour his contributions.

'Instead of using Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar as a tool for their political benefits, the BJP, the Congress and their allies must truly respect and honour his legacy. The BSP has no objection to the gods these parties worship, but for Dalits and the marginalised, Dr Ambedkar is their sole God. It is because of him that these communities were granted constitutional rights, a moment that, for them, equates to gaining heavenly bliss for seven lifetimes,' Mayawati posted on X in Hindi.

With PTI inputs