The BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha chief today condemned the controversial comments of IGNCA Chairman Ram Bahadur Rai in which the former RSS functionary had termed as "myth" B R Ambedkar's role in the making of the Constitution.
Dushyant Kumar Gautam said comments like these "insulted" Ambedkar and were a "hurdle" in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of creating social harmony as he called them an outcome of people's "malice and enmity" to Dalits.
Rai, a former ABVP general secretary and now the Chairman of Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, said in an interview that the Dalit icon merely "corrected" the language as the head of the drafting committee and the assertion that he played a key role in writing the Constitution was a "myth".
Gautam told reporters, "Those who are saying so are doing it without any thinking and it seems they have some malice and enmity against the Scheduled Castes and the concept of social justice. This is the reason otherwise such statements would not have been made. If Ambedkar was from upper castes, then they would not made such comments."
Asked about Rai's links with the RSS, he shot back saying if somebody's mindset is "polluted", then it is polluted.
BJP has been making vigorous attempts to win over politically crucial SC community to its side ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Gautam called Ambedkar the "foremost patriot" and claimed that people like Rai were "concerned" over Modi's attempts to attach the Dalit community with BJP.
"The way and speed with which Modi is working to create social harmony and taking everybody along has caused concern among some people," he said.
Asked for his comments, BJP Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said Ambedkar continues to be "supremely important icon" of the emancipation of downtrodden sections of society, especially Dalits.
"Whatever way people may assess him, he remains our national hero," he said.
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Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma declined to comment over Rai's comments saying he was unaware of the content of his interview.
Asked if he would seek action against Rai, who was appointed IGNCA head recently, Gautam said he would do so after reading the complete interview.
Sahasrabuddhe also claimed he had not read the interview.
To a question referring to Rai's RSS background, the BJP Vice-President said the Hindutva organisation's views on Ambedkar was articulated best by its former head Balasaheb Deoras, who had heaped praise on him.
"He (Ambedkar) has a prime place in our social and national ethos. No other person has that kind of supremacy, he added.
Gautam claimed it was due to Ambedkar's efforts that Dalits did not convert to Islam or Christianity or the country could have then "broken".
"Making such comments about him amounted to insulting him," he said.
