Row over Amit Shah “Insulting” Ambedkar: TMC Moves Privilege Motion, Both Houses Adjourned over Noisy Protests
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien moved a privilege motion against the Union Hone Minister Amit Shah before both Houses of Parliament had to be adjourned for the day on Wednesday amidst noisy protests by the opposition for his alleged derogatory remarks against the framer of the constitution BR Ambedkar in Parliament.
Mr O’Brien filed the privilege notice under Rule 187 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Rajya Sabha. It quoted Shah’s statement made in the Upper House on Tuesday during his reply to a debate on the 75 years of the Constitution.
Even as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a series of posts on X in defence of Mr Shah, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed strong protests from the Congress and some other opposition parties over his alleged insult of Ambedkar resulting in both the Houses being adjourned. Criticising the Congress for repeatedly taking the name of Ambedkar, Mr Shah had said in his remarks that if they had taken God’s name so many times they could have earned a place in heaven.
“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),” he said during his speech.
The home minister said the BJP was happy that the Congress was taking Ambedkar’s name but the party should also speak about its real sentiments towards him. He pointed out how Ambedkar had to resign from the first cabinet citing his disagreement with the then Congress-led government’s policies, including Article 370.
He further said most of the memorials of Ambedkar were built when the BJP came to power. “How appropriate is it for you to use the name of a person for vote bank politics whom you used to oppose?” he asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, stoutly defended Shah from the charge that he insulted Ambedkar in his speech in the Rajya Sabha, asserting that he, in fact, exposed the Congress’ “dark history of insulting” the architect of the Constitution, leaving the main opposition “stung and stunned.” “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,” Modi said in a series of posts on X.
In a scathing attack on the Congress, Mr Modi said if the party and its “rotten ecosystem” think their “malicious lies” can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insults towards Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken. He said people of India have seen time and again how one party, led by one dynasty, a reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate Mr Ambedkar’s legacy and humiliate the SC/ST communities.
The list of the Congress’ sins towards Mr Ambedkar included getting him defeated in elections not once but twice, first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue, denying him a Bharat Ratna, and not allowing his portrait a place of pride in Parliament’s Central Hall, the prime minister said.
He said, “The 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.” Mr Modi also listed the measures taken by his government to implement his vision and accord respect to the iconic personality.
He claimed that his government has worked tirelessly to fulfil Mr Ambedkar’s vision over the last decade. “Take any sector – be it removing 25 crore people from poverty, strengthening the SC/ST Act, our Government’s flagship programmes like Swachh Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Ujjwala Yojana and more, each of them has touched the lives of the poor and marginalised. Our Government has worked to develop Panchteerth, the five iconic places associated with Dr Ambedkar,” he added.
For decades, Mr Modi said, there was a pending issue involving land for “Chaitya Bhoomi”, where Ambedkar was cremated. “Not only did our Government resolve the issue, I have gone to pray there as well,” he added. “We have also developed 26, Alipur Road in Delhi, where Dr Ambedkar spent his last years. The house where he lived in London has also been acquired by the Government. When it comes to Dr Ambedkar, our respect and reverence is absolute,” he said.
Mr Modi’s support to his ministerial colleague notwithstanding, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a blistering attack on Amit Shah saying “the mask has fallen” as this was a display of the BJP’s “casteist and anti-Dalit mindset.” She said the remarks were an insult to those who look up to Babasaheb.
“The mask has fallen! As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM Amit Shah chose to tarnish this occasion with derogatory remarks against Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of democracy,” she said in a post 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 said. “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?”
Other TMC leaders also chimed in with Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose saying Shah was “unfit for office of Home Minister.” She said the minister had revealed himself as a “Manuvadi” by insulting the architect of India’s Constitution.
“The insulting remarks of HM Amit Shah about BR Ambedkar, and his teachings is a disgrace. Amit Shah has revealed Manuvadi, and socially discriminatory mindset of BJP, RSS, which uses Ambedkar’s legacy for politics, but has contempt for BR Ambedkar’s teachings of social justice, and social change. Amit Shah has insulted the architect of India’s constitution, when debate on Constitution is going on, he has ridiculed the millions of Ambedkarites who embraced the idea of social justice. This kind of individual is unfit to hold the high office of Home Minister,” she said.
Mr O’Brien moved the privilege motion against Mr Shah in the Upper House when the House re-assembled at 2 p.m. after an adjournment earlier in the say. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of misleading the country by using only a part of Mr Shah’s remarks. At this, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge repeated Mr Shah’s remark and said it only showed the Minister’s disrespect towards the architect of the Constitution.
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda rejected Mr Kharge’s plea and alleged that it was the Congress that had disrespected Ambedkar during his lifetime due to which he had resigned from the Union Cabinet. This led to an uproar as Mr Kharge again rose to counter the Union Minister. With members of both the Treasury Benches and the Opposition raising slogans against each other, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House for the day.
In the Lok Sabha which also met again at 2 p.m., the protests continued. Soon ministers and MPs tabled parliamentary documents amid the din. Following which P.C. Mohan, who was chairing the proceedings, adjourned the House for the day.
When the House was adjourned for the day, most Opposition members excluding those from the TMC were on their feet raising slogan of ‘Jai Bheem’ and seeking an apology from Mr Shah. Most Congress members were in the Well raising slogans.
Earlier, the House was adjourned till 2 p.m. as Congress members trooped into the Well displaying posters of Ambedkar. Some members of INDIA bloc were also in the Well of the House. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was present in the House along with his sibling Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who is also the junior Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, countered the Congress saying the party has always insulted Ambedkar and ensured his defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. The minister also claimed that the Congress has now been forced to take the name of Ambedkar though the party does not respect him.
Speaker Om Birla’s efforts to run the Question Hour didn’t yield result. As the din continued the proceedings went on for less than two minutes before being adjourned till 2 pm.
