New Delhi:

Amid the massive row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar, the Trinamool Congress has moved a privilege notice against him and said he had undermined the legacy of the Constitution’s architect and Parliament’s dignity.

Derek O’Brien, leader of the Trinamool Congress in Rajya Sabha, has moved the notice under Rule 187. The privilege notice comes amid an all-out Opposition offensive against the Home Minister, accusing him of insulting the Dalit icon in his speech in the Upper House yesterday.

While speaking during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution, Mr Shah yesterday said that taking BR Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” for Opposition leaders now. “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they took God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven,” he said. “Take his name 100 times more, but I want to say what are your sentiments about him.” Mr Shah said BR Ambedkar had to resign from the first Cabinet following his disagreement with the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government.

The remarks sparked a huge row, with leaders of the Congress and other Opposition parties accusing Mr Shah of insulting the Dalit icon. When the Parliament met today, MPs from Opposition parties, held photos of BR Ambedkar and staged a protest. While BJP leaders accused the Congress of circulating a short video clip that did not show Mr Shah’s remarks on how the Congress allegedly sidelined BR Ambedkar, Opposition leaders stepped up the attack on the ruling party and demanded the Home Minister’s resignation.

As the Opposition tried to corner the government and demanded Mr Shah’s resignation and an apology, the BJP leadership launched a counterstrike led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a six-point thread on X, the Prime Minister said the Congress and its “rotten ecosystem” were “gravely mistaken” if they thought “malicious lies” could hide their insult of the architect of the Constitution. “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! The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister added in his post that the list of the Congress’s “sins” towards BR Ambedkar 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.”

The mask has fallen!

As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to TARNISH this occasion with DEROGATORY remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of Democracy.

This is a display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 18, 2024

Earlier, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee slammed the Home Minister, saying that the “mask has fallen”. “As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to TARNISH this occasion with DEROGATORY remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of Democracy. 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 in a post on X.

“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? Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the Father of the Constitution, this outrageous remark is not only an outright attack on him but all members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, which symbolised India’s unity in diversity with members from all castes, creeds, ethnicities, and religions,” Ms Banerjee said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks amid the massive row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar had rubbed “salt on the wound”. Mr Kejriwal said he was “shocked” after reading the Prime Minister’s six-point thread on the uproar over Mr Shah’s remarks.

“You are saying the Congress did wrong by Baba Saheb. So how does this give you, your party, or your Home Minister the right to insult Baba Saheb? If Congress treated Baba Saheb wrongly? you will do so too? What kind of a clarification is this, coming from the Prime Minister?” the AAP leader said. “The country is outraged over the way your Home Minister insulted Baba Saheb in Parliament. And your statement has sprinkled salt on the wound.”

Mr Kejriwal’s remarks come against the backdrop of the upcoming Delhi election and the AAP would be looking to corner the Opposition BJP on this issue. Earlier, the AAP leader had hit out at Amit Shah over his remarks. “Amit Shah ji, Baba Saheb is no less than a god for every child in this country. We don’t know about heaven, but if Baba Saheb’s Constitution was not there, you would not let the oppressed and Dalits live on earth,” he said in a post this morning.

Leading the BJP’s firefight amid the Opposition’s all-out offensive on the issue, the Prime Minister has said the people have seen how the Congress has tried “every possible trick” to obliterate BR Ambedkar’s legacy and humiliate Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

In a six-point thread on X, the Prime Minister said the Congress and its “rotten ecosystem” were “gravely mistaken” if they thought “malicious lies” could hide their insult of the architect of the Constitution. “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! The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities,” the Prime Minister said.

Sharing a video of Mr Shah’s remarks, the Prime Minister said the Home Minister had “exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities”. “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,” he said.

Stressing that his government has worked tirelessly to fulfill the vision of Dr Ambedkar, the Prime Minister said, “When it comes to Dr. Ambedkar, our respect and reverence is absolute.”

Mr Shah’s remarks, which are at the centre of this row, were made in Rajya Sabha yesterday during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution. “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they took God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven,” he said.

“Take his name 100 times more, but I want to say what are your sentiments about him.” He said BR Ambedkar had to resign from the first Cabinet following his disagreement with the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government.

Leaders of the Congress and other Opposition parties have accused Mr Shah of insulting the Dalit icon. When the Parliament met today, MPs from Opposition parties, held photos of BR Ambedkar and staged a protest. While BJP leaders accused the Congress of circulating a short video clip that did not show Mr Shah’s remarks on how the Congress allegedly sidelined BR Ambedkar, Opposition leaders stepped up the attack on the ruling party and demanded the Home Minister’s resignation.