Ambedkar row: Congress leads protests, demands Amit Shah's resignation

Congress launches nationwide protests, demanding Amit Shah's resignation over his controversial remarks on Ambedkar, sparking a political storm in Parliament

The Congress announced a nationwide protest on Thursday, demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation. This follows Shah’s controversial remarks on BR Ambedkar during a heated session in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Congress leaders are mobilising state and district Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) to voice their dissent, according to news agency ANI. 

 

What Amit Shah said about Ambedkar

 

The uproar began when speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah said Congress leaders had turned Ambedkar’s name into a ‘fashion’.   

“Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai—Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say ‘Ambedkar’ repeatedly. If they had taken God’s name as often, they would have attained heaven in seven lifetimes),” Shah said.   

 

Shah further accused the Congress of opportunism, stating that while the BJP embraces Ambedkar’s legacy, the Congress must demonstrate its sincerity beyond rhetoric.  

 

Uproar in Parliament and beyond  

 

Shah’s remarks unleashed a political firestorm, uniting opposition parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Left parties, and Shiv Sena-UBT in a scathing attack on the BJP.  

 

The uproar led to multiple adjournments in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, disrupting legislative proceedings. Outside Parliament, protests erupted in states like Maharashtra, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu. 

 

In Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal spearheaded a demonstration outside the BJP headquarters, chanting slogans such as “Amit Shah maafi mango, Amit Shah sharm karo” (‘Amit Shah, apologise; Amit Shah, shame on you’).  

 

Congress calls for action

 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge issued a sharp rebuke, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack Shah if he refuses to step down. “If the Prime Minister truly respects Dr Ambedkar’s legacy, he must dismiss Amit Shah today,” Kharge said.

 

PM Modi’s defends Amit Shah

 

In a swift counteroffensive, Prime Minister Modi came to Shah’s defense, accusing the Congress of hypocrisy and historical negligence toward Dr Ambedkar’s contributions.  

 

“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,” PM Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).   

He said, “The people of India have seen time and again how one Party, led by one dynasty, has indulged in every possible dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Dr Ambedkar and humiliate the SC/ST communities.”  

 

Amit Shah hits back  

Doubling down on his remarks, Amit Shah held a press conference on Wednesday, where he labelled Congress as “anti-BR Ambedkar and anti-Constitution.”   

Responding to Kharge’s resignation demand, Shah said, “My resignation will not change the Congress party’s fate. Whether I resign or not, the Congress will remain in Opposition for the next 15 years.”  

 

[With agency inputs]