BJP hits back, says Rahul remarks seek to divide society

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his utterances at an event to mark B R Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, BJP today said there is no place in society for "such controversial remarks that seek to divide society" and accused Congress of not giving the Dalit icon his due and instead insulting him.

BJP also questioned Rahul why did the previous Congress regimes, led by his family members and party men, not grant Ambedkar the Bharat Ratna despite being in power for over 58 years. The party also said it would bring the SC/ST Amendment Bill in Parliament in the next session.

"Rahul Gandhi's family that ruled the country for 58 years caused a lot of harm to a section of society and Congress even insulted Ambedkar and never accorded the honour due to him. It is good that Rahul has enlightened himself about Ambedkar and is remembering him.

"There is no place in society for such controversial remarks made by Rahul Gandhi that seek to divide society. People of the country have rejected them and will continue to do so till they understand that India is one society and will not allow itself to be divided," Union Minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal said.

"We have objections to such statements of those who divide the society and do vote bank politics. We want the society to remain united," Goyal said.

Another senior Minister and party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also questioned Rahul for his sudden love for Ambedkar and asked why the Congress governments led by his family members in the past 58 years ever gave him the Bharat Ratna.

"I have to ask Rahul Gandhi a question, because he is asking a lot from us. He has gone to Mhow, BJP government made that memorial in Mhow and not the Congress government.

"Rahul Gandhi should kindly first tell if they respect Ambedkar so much, why their government did not give a Bharat Ratna to him. When he is going to Mhow, he should tell the country why his legacy government which ruled the country for 58 years, why they did not give a Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar," Prasad said.

Invoking Ambedkar's idea of "annihilation of caste", Rahul today made a strong pitch to end social discrimination and took a veiled dig at BJP cautioning against the "ideology that pits one against another" at an event at Mhow, the native place of the Dalit icon