Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the Constitution debate in the Rajya Sabha amid the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday night pounded on Home Minister Amit Shah over his "insulting" remarks on B R Ambedkar with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying that those who believe in 'Manusmriti' will have a problem with the father of the Indian Constitution.
Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Ambedkar will remain the messiah of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and the poor.
The statements came as Congress leaders objected to Shah's remark during the reply to the discussion on the 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution.
"It has now become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar... If they take the name of God this many times, they will get seven births," Shah said even as Kharge objected to the remarks.
Rahul, who has said that RSS preferred 'Manusmriti' over the Indian Constitution, posted on social media platform X, "those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely have problems with Ambedkar ji."
Kharge said in a post on X that Shah's "insult" to Ambedkar in Rajya Sabha has once again proved that the BJP-RSS were "against the tricolour." "His ancestors (RSS) opposed the Ashoka Chakra and Sangh Parivar wanted to implement Manusmriti instead of the Constitution from the very first day," Kharge said.
"Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar did not allow this to happen, that is why there is so much hatred towards him. The ministers of the Modi government should understand carefully that for crores of people like me, Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar is no less than God. He is and will always be the messiah of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and the poor," he added.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal claimed that "BJP’s disgust" towards Ambedkar was always "well known" and the Home Minister’s "pathetic" statements further confirm how much they "hate and detest" him.
"In case you didn’t know -- Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is equivalent to God and the Constitution he drafted is a Holy Book for crores of people across the world. How dare you speak about Dr Ambedkar with such disdain?" Venugopal said in a post on X.
"The worshippers of Manusmriti will always have scorn towards Dr Ambedkar, who rejected the horrible ideas espoused by the casteist RSS and their Manusmriti. Those who spoke of changing the Constitution if they won 400+ seats, are now openly mocking our country’s reverence for Dr Ambedkar," he said.
Venugopal also said that those who "pretended to bow" before him "could not hide their true feelings for too long" and this "dangerous statement" from the BJP top brass shows they have "lost the right" to speak about Ambedkar ever again.