A massive political row has erupted over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar during his address to Rajya Sabha yesterday. While the Congress has accused Mr Shah of insulting the architect of the Constitution, the BJP has alleged that the Opposition party was circulating clipped videos and playing cheap tricks. At Parliament this morning, Opposition MPs held photos of BR Ambedkar and raised slogans demanding the Home Minister’s apology.

Addressing the House during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution, Mr Shah said taking BR Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” 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’. If they took God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven),” he said.

The Home Minister added, “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. “Ambedkar ji has said several times that he was not satisfied with the treatment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,” he said, adding that BR Ambedkar was also unhappy with the government’s policy approach and its stand on Article 370. “He wanted to quit (the cabinet), he was given an assurance, and when the assurance was not fulfilled, he resigned,” Mr Shah said.

The Home Minister’s remarks drew a scathing criticism from the Congress. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said in a veiled swipe, “Those following Manusmriti would naturally be troubled by Ambedkar.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Mr Shah’s “insult” of BR Ambedkar has again proved that the BJP and its ideological parent RSS were “against the Tricolour” and “opposed the Ashok Chakra”.

“They wanted to implement Manusmriti instead of the Constitution. Babasaheb Ambedkar did not let this happen, that’s why they hate him so much. The Modi government’s ministers must understand that for crores of people like me, Babasaheb is no less than God. He is a messiah for Dalits, tribals, backward, minorities and the poor.”

The Congress will be raising this issue in Parliament today. Party MP B Manickam Tagore has decided to move an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on this issue.

“During the discussion on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution, the Home Minister cynically dismissed the importance of Dr. Ambedkar, stating that it has become a ‘fashion’ for the Congress Party to repeatedly take his name, comparing it to the invocation of God’s name. He further trivialised Dr. Ambedkar’s monumental contribution by suggesting that those who invoke his name as frequently as the Congress does would attain “swarg” (heaven). This blasphemous statement is an attempt to undermine Dr. Ambedkar’s pivotal role in drafting the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality, justice, and dignity for all citizens, especially the marginalized communities,” Mr Tagore has said. Speaking to NDTV, the Congress MP said the Home Minister must apologise to the nation. 

Sharing a video of a section of Mr Shah’s speech, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Only a man who detests the Constitution can insult Babasaheb. Why do Sangh people hate Babasaheb’s name so much?”

The BJP has trashed the Congress’s charge. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said in a post on X, “Again a cheap trick of the Congress Party. Home Minister AmitShah Ji was referring to how Congress kept misusing Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s name but insulted him and never followed his ideals.” 

In response to Ms Shrinate’s post, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari called her a “fake news factory”. “AmitShah ji was exposing your party – Congress’ Hypocrisy! Clipped video won’t change the reality of Congress which hates Baba Saheb Ambedkar!”

Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, too, slammed the Home Minister’s remarks. “See how Amit Shah is joking about Bab Saheb Ambedkar. These BJP people are so arrogant that they do not respect anyone. “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,” he said.