Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in his Republic Day address at Dibrugarh today, once again raised the issue of BR Ambedkar, claiming India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, kept him out of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution. Mr Sarma claimed this while emphasizing on the challenges Dr Ambedkar faced while drafting the Constitution.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar is the founder of our Constitution. His inclusion in the constituency assembly had many challenges. His name was not there in the first list of members of Constituent assembly who were to draft the constitution,” the Chief Minister said. 

A Dalit leader from East Bengal, Jogendranath Mondal, proposed Dr Ambedkar’s name in his place and only after that he had the opportunity to be part of the historic work, he said. 

“Today I remember a statement of Pandit Nehru about the inclusion of Ambedkar. Nehru had claimed that Ambedkar was a trouble-maker and wanted to keep him outside the constituent assembly,” he said.

The Chief Minister further claimed that Ambedkar was included because Mahatma Gandhi recognised the merit in him and trusted his ability and took a stand against the position Nehru had taken.

“This decision of Gandhi was proved to be fruitful by the constituent assembly led by Ambedkar who gave us a constitution based on equality and brotherhood,” he added. 

The Chief Minister’s statement has drawn sharp reactions from the Congress.

Leader of Opposition in Assam assembly Debabrata Saikia condemned the remarks and alleged it was an attempt to defame Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru by distorting the truth.

“Initially Ambedkar was elected to constituency assembly from Bengal. But after partition his constituency went to Pakistan and he has to vacate his seat. It was Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel who went to Gandhi-ji to discuss this. After this Ambedkar was offered a seat in the constituent assembly by vacating a seat from Pune,” Mr Saikia told reporters.

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Monday attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari for sharing a clipped video of his party colleague and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Tiwari, in a post on X, shared a 9-second clip in which Mr Kejriwal was heard saying that “someone was saying that whoever has written the Constitution must be drunk while writing it”. His post came amid a massive row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar – known as the architect of the Indian Constitution.

“I found this video of the head of Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party. After listening to which everyone will be able to see his true colours,” Mr Tiwari, a three-time MP from North East Delhi, wrote.

मुझे दिल्ली के आम आदमी पार्टी के मुखिया का ये मुस्कान भरा वीडियो मिला.. जिसको सुनकर हर कोई ऐसे बहुरूपिये का असली रंग देख पायेगा.. #दलित_विरोधी_AAPpic.twitter.com/obMEJpp4RI

— Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) December 23, 2024

Mr Sisodia, who has filed a defamation case against Mr Tiwari in the past, countered him and shared the full video of Mr Kejriwal’s speech.

In the 19-second video, which was reportedly shot 12 years ago, Mr Kejriwal was heard talking about the Constitution of the Congress party and not about the Indian Constitution.

“Constitution of Congress party says no worker shall consume liquor. Someone amongst us said the one who wrote the Constitution must have been drunk while writing it,” he said.

Mr Sisodia asked Mr Tiwari to stop behaving like “cheap trolls”.

“You are an MP, have some shame. You are tweeting lies. If not yourself, at least respect the post of an MP,” the former Delhi deputy chief minister said.

मनोज तिवारी जी सांसद हो, थोड़ी तो शर्म करो। झूँठ ट्वीट कर रहे हो । सस्ते trollers जैसा बर्ताव करना बंद करो। अपनी नहीं तो कम से कम सांसद पद की तो इज्जत करो। https://t.co/kEt6Za3aBjpic.twitter.com/vuDziaJTYM

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 23, 2024

Mr Tiwari responded to the AAP leader, saying there should be “decorum” in a debate. “You got so angry that you called me shameless”.

“If the members of Congress wrote the Constitution of the party after drinking alcohol, then how can Arvind Kejriwal interpret it to mean that “whoever wrote the Constitution, wrote it after drinking alcohol”. What is the meaning of “whoever wrote the Constitution”?,” Mr Tiwari added.

“How can Arvind Kejriwal dare to say this? Is there a difference between the Constitution of India and Congress’ Constitution or not,” he asked.

The war of words between the two leaders broke out days after a controversy erupted over Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar during the recently concluded Winter Session of parliament.

In his address to the Rajya Sabha during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution last week, Mr Shah said taking BR Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” 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,” the senior BJP leader said.

“Take his name 100 times more, but I want to say what are your sentiments about him,” he said.

The AAP, Congress and other Opposition parties have alleged that Mr Shah had insulted the Dalit icon and demanded his resignation and an apology.

Mr Shah, however, said the Opposition leaders had twisted his remarks.

New Delhi:

The Congress has insulted BR Ambedkar in his lifetime and is in no position to point fingers at anyone, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said today in the backdrop of the row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks about the architect of the Indian constitution.

Asked about the matter in an exclusive interview, Mr Sai — a tribal leader — said it was not possible that anyone from the BJP would insult Ambedkar. “We need to look at what the Union Home Minister said in entirety,” he added.

The BJP, Mr Sai said, has shown huge respect to Ambedkar, no matter who headed the government — Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi.

“The Congress did not even allow his portrait in the country’s parliament. When he was alive, they insulted him repeatedly. But when our government came to power, we established the places associated with his life as five pilgrim centres,” Mr Sai told NDTV.

“Today in Mau where he was born, and in London where he was educated, we have set up plaques in his memory. And so we did in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi,” he added.

Addressing the House during the debate to mark 75 years of the Constitution last week, Mr Shah had said taking BR Ambedkar’s name had become a “fashion” 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.

It had sparked a huge row during the Winter Session of parliament, with the Opposition uniting to allege that was an insult to Ambedkar and demanding Mr Shah’s resignation.

The BJP rebuttal was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, in a series of tweets, said the Congress and its “rotten ecosystem” were “gravely mistaken” if they thought “malicious lies” could hide their insult of BR Ambedkar.

New Delhi:

TMC MP Saugata Roy said the opposition will continue their protest in Parliament tomorrow against the Union Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar.

“We will protest in Parliament tomorrow. We will continue the protest until Home Minister Amit Shah apologizes for his remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar…,” he told reporters here.

A massive political row has erupted over Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar during his speech in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Congress has accused Shah of being anti-Ambedkar and has demanded his resignation.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha LoP and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday criticised Shah’s remark on Babasaheb Ambedkar demanding an apology from Shah for his remarks during the Constitution debate in the Rajya Sabha.

While addressing a press conference in the national capital, Mr Kharge also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Mr Shah by midnight if he truly respects Ambedkar.

“We demand that Amit Shah should apologize and if PM Modi has faith in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar then he should be sacked by midnight… He has no right to remain in the cabinet, he should be sacked only then people will remain silent, otherwise, people will protest. People are ready to sacrifice their lives for Dr BR Ambedkar,” he said.

Meanwhile, accusing the Congress of being “anti-BR Ambedkar, anti-reservation and anti-Constitution,” Mr Shah on Wednesday said the opposition party has been presenting facts about his speech in Rajya Sabha in a distorted way.

Addressing a press conference here, Amit Shah also attacked Congress over the Emergency and said the discussion in Parliament on 150 years of the Constitution “proved how the Congress opposed Baba Saheb Ambedkar.”

“Since yesterday, Congress has been presenting the facts in a distorted way and I condemn it… Congress is anti-BR Ambedkar, it is against reservation and the Constitution. Congress also insulted Veer Savarkar. By imposing an Emergency, they violated all Constitutional values,” he said.

“A discussion was held over the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. During this, we also held discussions over the country’s achievements in the last 75 years. It is obvious that parties and people will have different points of view on different issues. But discussion should always be held based on facts,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended Amit Shah’s remarks and said that the union minister exposed the Congress’ “dark history of insulting” Baba Saheb Ambedkar after “which they were clearly stung and stunned” by the facts he presented.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.

Parliament Winter Session Highlights: Following the conclusion of the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha yesterday, both Houses resumed. In Lok Sabha, Congress has given a notice to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark on BR Ambedkar during the Constitution debate yesterday. In Rajya Sabha, members will discuss the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Here are Live Updates of the Parliament Winter Session: