New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should remove Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Cabinet immediately. He called for the resignation of Shah, stating that the the minister had insulted Dalit icon BR Ambedkar in Parliament. Kharge added that instead of telling Amit Shah that it is wrong, PM Modi is defending him over his remarks on Ambedkar.
“Our demand is that Amit Shah should apologise and if PM Modi has faith in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar then he should be sacked by midnight… He has no right to remain in the Cabinet, he should be sacked only then people will remain silent, otherwise, people will protest. People are ready to sacrifice their lives for Dr BR Ambedkar,” the Congress president said, while addressing a presser.
He added: “PM Modi made 6 tweets to defend Amit Shah. What was the need for this? If someone says wrong about BR Ambedkar, he should be removed from the cabinet.” On Wednesday, PM Modi countered Congress after it accused Shah of “insulting” Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha during his speech. In a series of posts on X, PM Modi listed “sins” of Congress against Ambedkar. He pointed out that that the party has indulged in “every dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Ambedkar and humiliate SC/ST communities”.
Earlier in the day, Kharge had taken a dig at Shah and said: “He has insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. His ideology of Manusmriti and RSS makes it clear that he does not want to respect Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. We condemn this, and we demand his resignation. He should apologise to the people of the country…He should resign from his position.”
Opposition parties have targeted Shah over his Ambedkar remarks. While attacking him, they demanded the home minister to quit.
‘Adding salt to wound’: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal
After Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s “controversial” remarks on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments amid the massive row over Shah’s remarks had rubbed “salt on the wound”. Kejriwal pointed out that he was “shocked” after reading the Prime Minister’s six-point thread on the uproar over Mr Shah’s remarks.
The national convenor of AAP said, “You are saying the Congress did wrong to 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, will you do the same? What kind of a clarification is this, coming from the Prime Minister?” “The country is angry over the way your Home Minister insulted Baba Saheb in Parliament. And your statement has sprinkled salt on the wound.”
Earlier in the morning, slamming Amit Shah over his remarks, Kejriwal had written in a post on X: “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 was not there, you would not let the oppressed and Dalits live on earth.”
‘The mask has fallen’: TMC leader Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee lambasted Union home minister Amit Shah, accusing him of making derogatory remarks against Dr Ambedkar.
“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,” Banerjee posted on X.
She added: “This is a display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would’ve inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They’d have rewritten history to entirely erase Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions.”
“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?” the West Bengal CM said.
‘Those who believe in Manusmriti…’
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP was opposing Ambedkar’s ideology and trying to undermine the Constitution. “They are against Ambedkar ji and his ideology,” he pointed out, adding that the saffron party’s goal is to dismantle Ambedkar’s work. After Shah’s remarks on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi took to X and wrote, “Those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely have problems with Ambedkar ji.”
