No Common Ground in Parliament

Shah hammered home saying, "Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar... itna naam bhagwan ka lete toh janmo tak swarg mil jata."

After two days of relative calm during which Parliament debated 75 years of the Constitution, it reverted to what has become its default position in recent years.

Noisy scenes erupted in both Houses on Wednesday, with Opposition members rushing to the well of the House, leading to abrupt adjournments.

Apparently, the trigger for the commotion was a remark by Home Minister Amit Shah, taken out of context from his long reply to the debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha the previous day. The Opposition claimed Shah had insulted B.R. Ambedkar, the chairman of the Constituent Assembly.

Accusing the Congress Party of opportunism, Shah charged then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with belittling Ambedkar, asserting that his resignation from the Cabinet would have no effect on the government.