'Display of BJP's casteist, anti-Dalit mindset': Mamata attacks Amit Shah over Ambedkar remarks

Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha about BR Ambedkar were a display of the BJP's "casteist and anti-Dalit mindset".

Banerjee, the chief of the Trinamool Congress, termed the remarks derogatory, claiming that those were an insult to the millions of people who look up to Ambedkar for guidance and inspiration.

"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," she posted on X.

"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," she alleged.

Attacking the BJP, Banerjee claimed that what more could have been expected from a party that has "internalised HATE and BIGOTRY".

"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?" she said.

The CM reiterated that Ambedkar, the father of the Constitution, deserved to be respected.

"Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the Father of the Constitution, this outrageous remark is not only an outright attack on him but all members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, which symbolised India's unity in diversity with members from all castes, creeds, ethnicities, and religions," Banerjee said.

Sharing her post, the TMC claimed that Shah's remark wasn't a slip of the tongue but was deliberate.

"At a time when the Parliament is observing 75 years of the Indian Constitution, HM @AmitShah showed the audacity of insulting Babasaheb Ambedkar in his Rajya Sabha speech," the TMC posted on X.

"Make no mistake, it wasn't a slip of tongue; it was a deliberate, vile attack rooted in @BJP4India’s deep-seated contempt for the Dalit community. This is the true face of a Party that thrives on CASTE SUPREMACY, SOCIAL DIVISION, and HATRED," it alleged.

The TMC demanded an unconditional apology from Shah on the floor of Parliament.

Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a video snippet on X from Shah's speech in the Upper House.

"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 had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," Shah had said, taking a swipe at the opposition.

Shah was addressing the Rajya Sabha at the conclusion of a two-day debate on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India".