Maintaining that the BJP does not have any icons of its own to project, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today claimed the ruling party is trying to appropriate the legacies of towering personalties like B R Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Patel.
"Unfortunate part is, BJP does not have any icon who they can project. Why don't they project Guru Golwalkarji, why don't they project Dr Hedgewarji (both RSS stalwarts), why don't they project Sawarkarji (a Hindutva ideologue), why do they want to sort of appropriate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who they have always been speaking against," he told reporters here.
Attacking the RSS, he charged that the Sangh's ideology is against the teachings of Ambedkar.
"These are the people who burnt the Indian Constitution when it was adopted, they are the people who refused to fly tricolour, they are basically against the ideology and teachings of Babasaheb," the AICC General Secretary said.
Asked about All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) deciding to contest Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Singh said, "Asaduddin Owaisi (its President) and AIMIM will contest elections where they get the money from."
To another query, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said the court orders on the entry of women into temples should be followed by all.
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Singh, who earlier addressed a meeting organised by Telangana Congress as part of the celebration of 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, said the party leaders and workers should reach out to the dalits.
"...Complaints come from villages that untouchability is taking place. In fact, those practicing untouchability can be jailed today. But, many times, Congress party goes back on fighting that. When we go to villages for campaigning, we go to the houses of big people and return. But, we don't go to the localities inhabited by dalits and tribals. This is our biggest short-coming. We have to start this again fundamentally...," he said.
The dalits or tribals should not be looked at as "machines to vote" but senior leaders should sit with them and give a respectable place in the party organisation, he said.
Singh, in-charge of Congress affairs in Telangana, asked the party workers to take up agitation over "false promises" the ruling TRS made to the people.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy said it was Congress and its leaders who made Ambedkar the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.
It was Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar who supported the Hindu Code Bill, which was opposed by RSS, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP's earlier avatar) and the latter's leader Syama Prasad Mukherjee, he said.
Describing Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani as "Manu Smriti Irani", Reddy alleged she has Manu in her heart.
