Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday said union home minister Amit Shah hurt the dignity of the architect of the Constitution, BR Ambedkar, with his remark in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week. She asked the BJP leader to take back his words.
At a press conference in Lucknow, Mayawati further said Shah should repent because there is anger and resentment against him across the country.
"The words used by Amit Shah in the Parliament about the architect of the Indian Constitution and messiah of Dalits and other neglected classes, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, have greatly hurt Baba Saheb's dignity and existence, and in a way, he has been insulted. Now there is tremendous anger and resentment among his followers in the entire country and he should take back these words and he should also repent for this. Otherwise, his (BR Ambedkar) followers will never be able to forget this, just like the way they haven't been able to forget the misdeeds of Congress towards Dr BR Ambedkar," Mayawati said in a press conference in Lucknow.
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During a debate on the Constitution in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Shah said the Congress had made it a fashion to chant BR Ambedkar's name.
{{/usCountry}}During a debate on the Constitution in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Shah said the Congress had made it a fashion to chant BR Ambedkar's name.
{{/usCountry}}"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, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," he said.
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On Wednesday, Amit Shah said the Congress had distorted his remark. He also said that successive Congress governments insulted BR Ambedkar by not conferring on him the Bharat Ratna. He said a government backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party finally gave him the award in 1990.
Earlier today, INDIA bloc MPs led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a protest in the Parliament premises.
The BJP also launched a protest against the alleged insult meted out to the Dalit icon by the Congress.
With inputs from PTI, ANI