Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress and its “rotten ecosystem” of disrespecting BR Ambedkar for decades, listing the party’s “sins” against the architect of the Indian Constitution. His remarks came amid demands from Congress for Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation over his statements on Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha a day earlier.
In a detailed post on X, PM Modi alleged that the Congress used “every dirty trick” to erase Ambedkar’s legacy and demean SC/ST communities. “If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr. Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken,” he wrote.
The Prime Minister criticized Congress for denying Ambedkar the Bharat Ratna and pointed out that the party actively opposed him in elections. “The list of sins includes getting him defeated in elections not once but twice. Pandit Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue. Denying him a Bharat Ratna. Denying his portrait a place of pride in Parliament’s Central Hall,” PM Modi tweeted.
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Congress defeated Ambedkar in Lok Sabha Elections in 1952 as well as 1954 by-elections. Modi said that Congress during their governments had failed to empower these SC/ST communities; worse of it, its regimes had committed atrocities against those communities.
PM Modi talked about efforts by the BJP for honoring Ambedkar’s vision, including uplifting 25 crore people from poverty and strengthening SC/ST Act. He stood up to Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha, saying, “The Congress was stung and stunned by the truth.” “Amit Shah exposed the dark history of the Congress insulting Dr. Ambedkar.They are now indulging in theatrics,” he added.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal condemned Modi’s statements, saying that they were not enough. “If Congress treated Baba Saheb badly, does that give you the right to insult him?” he tweeted.
The controversy started when Shah said that Congress was exploiting Ambedkar’s name for political purposes, “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar. If they had taken God’s name this often, they’d have secured a place in heaven.”
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanded Shah’s resignation and an apology, while opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, protested in Parliament premises holding Ambedkar’s photographs.