Ambedkar row: Congress to hold nationwide protest against Amit Shah’s remarks

PTI, Dec 23, 2024, 8:19 AM IST

Representative image (PTI / file)

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress will organise the Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman March to district collectorates nationwide on December 24, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said on Sunday.

This is part of its protest demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation over his recent remarks on Ambedkar during a Constitution debate in the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking to the media, Venugopal said a petition seeking Shah’s resignation would be submitted to President Droupadi Murmu through district collectors.

He alleged that Shah’s remarks belittled Ambedkar and deeply hurt those upholding constitutional values.

“Despite this, neither Shah, the Prime Minister nor the BJP has expressed regret. Instead, they provocatively defended their stance and replaced Ambedkar’s image with that of George Soros, further disrespecting Ambedkar,” Venugopal stated.

He accused the BJP of filing cases against opposition leaders expressing dissent and disrupting Parliament proceedings. He added that Shah’s remarks reflect the RSS and BJP’s mindset, referencing past criticism of the Constitution as “not Indian.”

“If a Congress MP had made such a remark, would they still hold their position?,” Venugopal questioned.

He also accused the corporate-backed media of suppressing the issue and vowed to take it directly to the people.

Venugopal announced the 100th anniversary celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s election as Congress President in Belagavi, Karnataka, on December 26 and 27.

Events include a Congress Working Committee meeting on December 26 and the ‘Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ rally on December 27 to highlight the BJP’s anti-constitutional actions, Venugopal said.

The Congress will also launch a month-long campaign featuring state-level rallies and village meetings as part of its protest programmes.

Venugopal criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his silence on Shah’s remarks, suggesting he is afraid to confront the BJP.

“If Ambedkar is insulted, the Kerala Chief Minister, from a politically enlightened state, should have been the first to respond,” Venugopal said.

He also accused CPI(M) Politburo members of failing to support Rahul Gandhi, who is actively protesting the issue.

Responding to reports about prominent community leaders backing Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2026 Assembly polls, Venugopal said community leaders have the right to express opinions.

He dismissed the CPI(M)’s narrative on the Congress’s candidate, emphasising unity across communities.

Venugopal also accused the BJP of turning the Election Commission into a partisan institution.

He criticised the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the committee selecting Election Commission members, replacing the position with a Union Minister.

“If the BJP seeks fairness, why exclude the Chief Justice from the selection process?,” Venugopal asked, alleging a “lack of transparency in providing voter lists in Haryana and Maharashtra”.

Venugopal added that the Congress would take legal steps to ensure “election transparency”.