A political storm has erupted following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal questioning the stance of BJP’s allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)].
Kejriwal called on the Chief Ministers of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, to clarify their positions on Amit Shah’s remarks. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kejriwal asked, “The people of the country want to ask Honorable Nitish Ji and Chandrababu Naidu Ji – ‘Do you support the insult of Baba Saheb done by Amit Shah Ji?'”
The controversy began after Shah criticized the Congress party for frequently invoking Ambedkar’s name, suggesting that it had become a “fashion” for them. Shah remarked, “If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, they would have attained heaven for seven lives.” His comments sparked immediate backlash from political leaders and parties.
Also read: ‘Congress spreads fake news’: Amit Shah slams reacts to Ambedkar ‘fashion’ row
Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended Amit Shah’s remarks, accusing Congress of a long history of disrespecting Ambedkar and failing to address the needs of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). In a series of posts on X, Modi claimed that Congress had been “stung and stunned” by Shah’s revelations, which exposed their neglect of these communities. He further accused Congress of engaging in “theatrics” to divert attention from their historical failures.
Modi also listed several “sins” of Congress towards Ambedkar, including his defeat in elections twice, the campaign against him led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and the denial of the Bharat Ratna award. He pointed out that Congress had also refused to display Ambedkar’s portrait in Parliament’s Central Hall, which he claimed was a symbol of the party’s disrespect towards the iconic leader.
The ongoing war of words between the BJP and Congress over Ambedkar’s legacy has added a new layer to the already charged political atmosphere in the country.
