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Rijiju in Lok Sabha: Congress did not give Ambedkar his due
Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday tore into the Congress for not giving BR Ambedkar his due, as he questioned the opposition's claims that minorities were being denied their rights.
Intervening in the debate in the Lok Sabha on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the parliamentary affairs minister cautioned that "our words and actions should not diminish the image of the country in the world fora".
Rijiju was the first speaker on the second day of the debate in the Lower House.
While India has given equal voting rights to all, some claim that minorities have no rights in the country, Rijiju said in an apparent jibe at the opposition.
In his over an hour-long speech, Rijiju suggested that the Congress should "apologise" to Ambedkar to "lessen its sins".
He alleged that "you" (apparently the Congress) made Ambedkar lose in the 1952 parliamentary polls.
Rijiju also questioned the delay in bestowing Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna and asserted that the chief architect of the Constitution was conferred with India's highest civilian honour after a government supported by the BJP came to power at the Centre.
Continuing his tirade, Rijiju cited Ambedkar as saying that while Jawaharlal Nehru delivered more than 2,000 speeches in 20 years, he never spoke about the welfare of Scheduled Castes "even once".
"Pandit Nehru is always for Muslims," the minister, said quoting Ambedkar.
Citing a document, Rijiju said while Ambedkar wanted reservation indefinitely till equality was achieved, Nehru advocated for it to be in place for 10 years.
A day after several opposition leaders claimed in the Lower House that the rights of minorities were shrinking, the Union minister said India not only provided legal protection to minorities, it also had a provision for affirmative action to protect their interests.
Rijiju said successive governments worked for the welfare of minorities. "The Congress has also done that, I am not undermining its role." The minister also cited a survey to claim that minorities, including Muslims, were facing discrimination and hate crimes in many nations.
The situation in neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan where minorities are facing persecution is well-known, he said.
Groups seek refuge in India as they feel this country is safe for them, Rijiju added and wondered why such narratives on minorities' rights were being floated.
Priyanka and other Kerala MPs protest for Wayanad relief
Congress’s Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday accused the Centre of denying assistance to landslides-affected people of Wayanad due to politics and asserted that there should be no discrimination in times of natural disasters.
Her remarks came after MPs from Kerala, including her, staged a protest in Parliament premises Saturday, demanding a relief package from the Centre for landslides-hit Wayanad.
Staging their demonstration in front of the steps of the Makar Dwar, the MPs raised slogans calling for “justice for Wayanad”. They also held a banner with ‘"Justice for Wayanad, provide relief package for Wayanad” written on it.
Speaking with reporters, Priyanka said, “We are very disturbed by the fact that the government is refusing to give a special package to Wayanad. We have gone to the home minister, we have written to the prime minister and to everyone possible, to declare that this as a calamity of a severe nature and to give a special package.”
Similar large-scale destruction took place in Himachal Pradesh where the Congress is in power and there also they have been demanding for the longest time that the Centre provides assistance, she said.
“In Wayanad, the whole country has seen the devastation, the pain and suffering of the people and yet just because of politics, the central government, in both cases, is refusing to give what is due to the victims,” she said.
“They are citizens of India. There should be no discrimination in times of natural disasters, in times of pain, in times of suffering of any kind. That is the time when the central government, the PM should be the custodians of every Indian citizen's life and every Indian citizen’s livelihood,” the Congress general secretary said, flanked by the protesting Kerala MPs.
“That is the time they are supposed to set politics aside and give the assistance required. We are actually deeply disappointed because we expected that highlighting this issue, going to them explaining the kind of pain and suffering (that has taken place)...the PM himself has seen.
“We thought out of humanity and compassion what is due to the victims of Wayanad would be given to them,” Priyanka said.
She said the MPs are still hoping the government will have compassion and humanity and do what needs to be done because this is a matter that is above politics. The damage is Rs 2,000 crore but it depends on the government how much it wants to provide, she said.
The disaster, which struck Kerala on July 30, devastated large parts of three villages — Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai — along with sections of Attamala in Wayanad. According to the government, the disaster claimed 231 lives.