NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and deputy CM Udhaynidhi on Wednesday joined the Ambedkar row, hitting out at Union minister Amit Shah for what they called ‘slanderous’ remarks.”
“Only those who commit the most sins should worry about virtue. Those who care about the country, the people, and the security of the Constitution will only mention the name of the revolutionary Ambedkar! It must be mentioned!” CM Stalin wrote on X.
“Instead of working as a tourist guide on how to go where, Amit Shah should first properly take care of his responsibilities as home minister. If the fascists who are roaming around with a grudge to somehow destroy the Constitution given by Ambedkar get irritated just by hearing Ambedkar’s name, then let’s raise our voices and say his name hundreds of times more,” dy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin said.
During a two-day discussion in the Rajya Sabha on 75 years of the Constitution, Union home minister Amit Shah criticised the Congress party in his address, saying that invoking Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” for the party. Shah said, “If they had taken God’s name as often as they take Ambedkar’s, they would have secured heaven for seven lifetimes.”
Taking objection to home minister’s statement, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called for Shah’s resignation, accusing him of insulting Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. Kharge warned that such remarks could provoke widespread anger and demanded that Shah issue an apology to the nation and step down from his position.
“He has insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. His ideology of Manusmriti and RSS makes it clear that he does not want to respect Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. We condemn this and we demand his resignation. All the parties demand his resignation. He should apologise to the country…If he keeps talking like this, the entire country will be under fire because people will not tolerate Babasaheb Ambedkar’s insult. He should resign from his position,” Kharge said.
Meanwhile, PM Modi responded to opposition criticism Amit Shah, saying the Congress it was “gravely mistaken” if they thought “malicious lies” could hide its insulting of Ambedkar. In a series of posts on X, PM Modi said that Congress sat in power for years but did nothing to empower the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. The Prime Minister listed the “Congress sins” towards Babasaheb Ambedkar.
“In Parliament, Amit Shah Ji exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities. They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth! Congress can try as they want but they can’t deny that the worst massacres against SC/ST Communities have happened under their regimes. For years, they sat in power but did nothing substantive to empower the SC and ST communities,” PM Modi said on X.
