Ambedkar's marginalisation: Nehru's role and today's cynical exploitation

Political bickering over Ambedkar's legacy exposes hypocrisy on both sides. His legacy is neither owned by Congress nor respected by the RSS

- AJAY JHA

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's newfound love for the Indian Constitution and his penchant for using it to criticize the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have devolved into a political volleyball match. Both the Congress and BJP are twisting historical facts to score points, with names and legacies being bandied about in the process.

Rahul Gandhi accuses the BJP, its predecessor Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and their ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of disrespecting the Constitution and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, who chaired the committee that drafted India's Constitution. The BJP counters by alleging that India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rahul's great-grandfather, marginalized Ambedkar. Both sides are partly right but equally guilty of distorting the truth.