PM Modi Defends Amit Shah Amid Ambedkar Remark Controversy

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] December 18 : During a recent parliamentary session, Home Minister Amit Shah commented on the frequent appeal of BR Ambedkar's name by Congress members, suggesting it had become a "fashion." He remarked, "It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar... If they took God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven." 

Political Rivalry Intensifies

The controversy has worsened the political rivalry between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Both sides continue to trade accusations, reflecting the deep divisions over Ambedkar's legacy and its significance in modern politics.

Opposition Calls Apology

Shah's comments were seen by the Congress party and other opposition members as insulting to Ambedkar, the main inventor of the India Constitution. Declaring the comments to be a "insult," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called for Shah's resignation. "Amit Shah's words are deeply disrespectable to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution he crafted," he said.

PM Modi Defends Amit Shah

Reacting to the protest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended Shah by charging the Congress of trying to wipe Ambedkar's legacy. "In Parliament, Amit Shah Ji exposed the Congress's sinister past of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities," Modi said. He also charged the Congress with "theatrics" meant to draw away focus on their prior behavior.

Claims of Congress Undermining Ambedkar

Modi specified many incidents in which he feels the Congress undermined Ambedkar, including:

• Actively working to defeat him in elections.

• Denying him the Bharat Ratna during his lifetime.

• Not placing his portrait in Parliament's Central Hall.

He highlighted that Congress governments carried out the greatest crimes directed against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Political Rivalry Strengthens

The debate has increased political competition between the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reflecting the great differences regarding Ambedkar's legacy and significance in modern politics, both sides keep passing allegations.

 By Manasa Permulla