Ambedkar remarks | BJP govt asked 'X' to delete Amit Shah's RS speech: Congress

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Citing an email, the Congress on Thursday claimed that the BJP government has asked social media platform 'X' to remove the speech of Home Minister Amit Shah made in the Rajya Sabha, which it said "insulted" Babasaheb Ambedkar.

There was no official confirmation from either the BJP or X on the Congress' claims.

The party reiterated that Shah had committed an "unforgivable crime" for which the Home minister should apologise to the nation and resign.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson and chairperson of the Social Media and Digital Platforms Supriya Shrinate claimed that Congress leaders, its MPs and the party's official handle, including herself, had received an email from the 'X', saying the government of India had asked it to delete Shah's speech shared by them.

She, however, added that the 'X' platform had refused to delete it in the spirit of freedom of speech. She said if Shah thinks there is nothing wrong in his speech, why has his ministry asked the 'X' to delete it.

Shrinate made it clear that what they had shared was the original speech of Shah and it was not edited or distorted.

Besides, she also showed the 34-page unedited text of his speech available on the Rajya Sabha website where in he clearly says, that "it has become a fashion to mention the name of Dr Ambedkar and if they (the opposition leaders) take the name of God those many times, they will get to heaven for seven births".

Claiming this was "insulting and disrespectful" to the architect of the Constitution, the Congress spokesperson said Shah revealed the same mindset of his ideological ancestors who always opposed Ambedkar and condemned him as "anti-Hindu".

Shrinate also condemned the BJP and its 'X' handlers for distorting a picture of the Congress leaders carrying the photographs of Ambedkar while protesting against Shah's insult of him.

She pointed out how on the BJP 'X' handle Ambedkar's picture was replaced with that of George Soros, whom the BJP calls "anti-national".

"How dare the BJP replace Dr Ambedkar's picture? This is the same ease with which they think they can replace India's Constitution," she asserted.

Reiterating her party's demand that Shah must apologise to the nation and tender his resignation, Shrinate said, the Congress will not be intimidated or cowed down with such arm twisting tactics by the BJP.

She alleged that BJP leaders like Shah and their official social media account are displaying the same disregard and hatred towards Ambedkar that their forefathers and the RSS have always had.

The opposition party's attack came over a social media post by the BJP in which it posted a photograph from the INDIA bloc MPs' protest in Parliament on Wednesday against Shah's remarks.

However, the images of Ambedkar that the MPs were holding during the protest were edited out and replaced with a picture of US billionaire George Soros. Also, the backdrop was changed with 'We Love Soros' written on it.

"Hello, Congress and INDI alliance. We fixed the image for you. You're welcome," the BJP said in its post.

The BJP has been on the offensive as it has claimed that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had links with George Soros-backed outfits allegedly involved in anti-India activities.

Sharing the screenshot of the BJP's social media post and also the original photograph from the protest, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said, "The BJP is brazen in its insult and ridicule of Dr Ambedkar." "Instead of ensuring the home minister is removed from his post for the immense hurt caused to the crores of Babasaheb's followers by Amit Shah's statements, they are doubling down on the ridicule." Is standing up for Ambedkar against the insult to him a matter of joke for the BJP? he posed.

"They are bringing in their rotten falsehoods even on a sensitive matter like Dr Ambedkar's legacy because they do not respect him and want to diminish his stature for their narrow political goals," Venugopal said in his post on X. PTI