New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien moved a privilege motion against Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday over his remarks on BR Ambedkar during the Consitution debate on Tuesday amid a raging row that has left the Centre into firefighting mode.
Brien said the home minister had undermined the legacy of the Constitution’s architect and Parliament’s dignity.
Derek O’Brien, the Trinamool Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha, has submitted a privilege notice under Rule 187. This comes amidst a strong Opposition offensive against the Home Minister, accusing him of disrespecting the Dalit icon BR Ambedkar during his speech in the Upper House yesterday.
During the debate marking 75 years of the Constitution, the Home Minister remarked that invoking Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” among Opposition leaders. “It has become a fashion to say ‘Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar.’ If they took God’s name this many times, they’d have found a place in heaven,” he said.
“Go ahead and take his name 100 more times, but I want to know your real sentiments about him.” He also noted that BR Ambedkar had resigned from the first Cabinet due to disagreements with the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government.
