Parliament LIVE | ‘Malicious lies, rotten ecosystem’: PM snaps at Cong over Ambedkar issue
On Tuesday, Amit Shah criticised the Congress over the 77 Constitution amendments it has made, while Kharge said the former had come only to praise Modi
An uproar was witnessed in both houses of Parliament on Wednesday (December 18) as Opposition MPs protested against the alleged insult of Dr BR Ambedkar by Union Minister Home Amit Shah in his speech on Constitution on Tuesday (December 17) and demanded an apology from him.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were first adjourned till 2 pm and then for the day shortly after reconvening at 2 pm.
Opposition MPs troop into well in LS
As soon as proceedings began in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Congress members trooped into the well displaying posters of Ambedkar and sought an apology from Shah for his remarks during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
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.
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Members of other Opposition parties, including from Trinamool Congress, stood at their seats in support of the Congress.
Meghwal defends Shah
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal 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 asked the members to allow the Question Hour to continue but as the din continued, the proceedings went on for less than two minutes before being adjourned till 2 pm.
Uproar in Rajya Sabha
Soon after the listed papers and reports were tabled in the Rajya Sabha and the House went ahead with the scheduled Zero Hour, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh rose and alleged that Shah insulted Ambedkar.
Soon, several other Congress members were on their feet and started raising slogans like "'Amebedkar ka apaman nai sahega Hindustan' (India will not tolerate Amebedkar's insult)".
Countering them, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said it was the Congress that insulted Ambedkar and did not honour him with a Bharat Ratna.
Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised a poster of Ambedkar.
Following this, House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
The opposition MPs are demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's apology for his remarks on Tuesday which they claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar.
What Shah said
Speaking at the conclusion of the debate in the Rajya Sabha on 75 years of the Indian Constitution on Tuesday, Shah accused the Congress of making amendments to the Constitution during its rule to stay in power. He claimed that the BJP governments on the other hand made amendments that were meant to “empower citizens”.
The home minister said the Congress amended the Constitution 77 times during its 55 years as the ruling party, while the BJP made 22 amendments in the 16 years it has been in power. Taking a dig at Congress for using the name of Ambedkar, Shah said the former should also speak about its real sentiments about him, pointing out how he had to resign from the first Cabinet over differences with the then-Congress government over its policies.
“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.
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- 18 Dec 2024 2:06 PM IST
Siddaramaiah's open letter to Shah
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has hit out at Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on BR Ambedkar, calling it an insult to the chief architect of the Constitution. Shah’s remarks in Parliament are just an extension of long-standing RSS ideology, he said.
The chief minister said without Ambedkar’s contributions, Shah wouldn’t be the Home Minister and Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister.
The CM was referring to Shah’s remarks taking a swipe at the Opposition during a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha.
“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),” Shah said.
For the Congress and him (Siddaramaiah), Ambedkar was not a “fashion” but an “eternal inspiration”, the CM said.
In an open letter to Shah, the CM said, “First, let me congratulate you for finally speaking the truth by openly revealing the BJP’s real opinion about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Your statement in Parliament didn’t surprise us; we already knew your party’s true mindset. But now, the entire country has seen your lack of respect for the architect of the Indian Constitution.”
Standing in the very Parliament that runs under Ambedkar’s Constitution and calling his memory a “habit” shows Shah’s arrogance, he said, and added, “Congratulations, Mr. Shah, for this shameless act! Do not attempt to mislead the nation by saying — ‘I have immense respect for Babasaheb, and my words were twisted’. We are not gullible. Own up to your words and face the nation,” the CM said.
“For us, Ambedkar is not a fashion but an eternal inspiration. As long as we breathe, as long as the Sun and Moon shine on this Earth, Ambedkar’s legacy will endure,” Siddaramaiah said in the letter.
“The more you try to diminish his memory, the stronger it will rise to guide us forward. While your sycophants might have clapped at your arrogance, remember this: millions across this country, who have gained equality and dignity because of Babasaheb, are condemning you,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said had Dr Ambedkar not been born, he wouldn’t have had the privilege of becoming the chief minister and might have been herding cattle in his village. “Our senior leader, Mallikarjun Kharge Ji, wouldn’t have risen to lead the AICC; he might have been working in a factory in Kalaburagi. We owe every step of our progress and dignity to Babasaheb and the Constitution he gave us. Not just me — without Ambedkar’s contributions, you too wouldn’t be the Home Minister today. Instead, you might have been running a scrap business in your hometown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, your colleague, might still be selling tea at a railway station. Babasaheb’s vision is what elevated us all. Even the Prime Minister might admit this, and so should you,” he said.
“Your hatred for Ambedkar is not new to those who know history,” the CM further said and sought to know — Why did BJP’s ideological parent, the RSS, reject the Constitution written by Babasaheb during his lifetime? Historical records document the statements of RSS leaders like Hedgewar, Golwalkar, and Savarkar against the Constitution. “You may try to suppress these truths, but they cannot be erased. Your remarks in Parliament are just an extension of that long-standing RSS ideology,” Siddaramaiah said.
He further told Shah, “Let me respond in your tone. Your party and its ideological family have now developed a fashion to chant — Modi... Modi... Modi — If only you had invoked the name of God as many times as you chanted Modi’s name, you might have secured a place in heaven — not just for seven lifetimes, but for a hundred. Perhaps even your sins, committed solely for clinging to power, might have been forgiven.”
