Modi, Shah hit back in raging Ambedkar row

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Opposition of spreading malicious lies, after a statement by Shah referring to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar triggered a political storm and jammed Parliament on Wednesday.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

During his reply to the debate marking 75 years of the Constitution on Tuesday, Shah attacked the Congress and alleged the opposition party repeatedly disrespected Ambedkar. "It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar...If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have secured a place in heaven for seven lifetimes..." he said, before going on to add that India's first law minister was forced to resign from Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet.

The comment sparked a row on Wednesday as the Congress and other members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) shared clips of the first part of his statement, demanding Shah's resignation and an apology for what they alleged was an insult to the framer of the Constitution.

But a combative BJP dismissed the allegations. "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!" Modi posted on X.

Shah held a press conference accusing the Congress of "distorting" his statement made in the Rajya Sabha to create an "illusion" that he insulted Ambedkar.

Flanked by cabinet colleagues JP Nadda. Kiren Rijiju, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Piyush Goyal, Shah criticised the Congress for being "anti-Ambedkar, anti-reservation and antiConstitution." "The Congress distorted my statement and presented only a small, selective portion to the public, attempting to create confusion and spread misinformation. Twisting facts and spreading lies in society has been an old habit of the Congress," Shah said.

"I come from a party and a culture that, even in its dreams, cannot disrespect Babasaheb's ideas or Babasaheb himself." The BJP also launched a countercampaign, accusing the Congress of selectively editing Shah's 85-minute speech and sharing a bigger chunk of his address in the Rajya Sabha.