Lashing out at the Opposition parties for protesting against Home Minister Amit Shah speech in Rajya Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju Wednesday said the Congress should stop misusing the name of Father of the Constitution B R Ambedkar. He alleged the Congress was misleading the people.

”..I would like to tell the Congress Party to stop misusing the name of BR Ambedkar…Congress has no moral right to take the name of BR Ambedkar,” he said.

Advertisement

He said the Congress and some of its allies have taken out a small clip of the speech given by Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha yesterday, twisted it and made it viral.

During his speech, Shah has said, “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).”

Speaking to reporters, Rijiju said, “Since last night, the Congress Party has been taking out a small part of the speech of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and trying to mislead the people. During his entire speech, Amit Shah praised Babasaheb Ambedkar. He has also told the House how our government and BJP, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, have devoted not only to Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy but also to promoting his ideals…”

He said the Home Minister yesterday explained in very clear words how the Congress had despised and insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar while he was alive, and also described the sin that they have committed by insulting Ambedkar.

Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Congress party insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar while he was alive and now to wash off that sin, they want to gain votes by repeatedly taking Ambedkar ji’s name. I want to refute the drama that they (Congress) have done today by taking out a small clip of that and creating a ruckus in the House and then roaming around with Baba Saheb’s picture outside…”

He accused the Congress of insulting BR Ambedkar, not giving him Bharat Ratna and alleged they defeated him twice in polls as part of a conspiracy.

In the Rajya Sabha, he said, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju says “Yesterday, Union HM Amit Shah clearly showed our sense of reverence in his speech. He also said how Congress insulted Ambedkar ji when he was alive…The Congress party did not award him with Bharat Ratna for so many years and along with that, the Congress party insulted Baba Saheb and defeated him in 1952 in an election under a conspiracy…”

Mentioning that he was a Buddhist in an apparent reference to Dr Ambedkar’s association with the religion, Rijiju said PM Modi has made a Buddhist a minister after 71 years.

He said, ”I am a Buddhist and a person who follows the path shown by Baba Saheb. In this country, Baba Saheb resigned from the post of Law Minister in 1951. After 71 years, PM Narendra Modi made me, who is a Buddhist, the Law Minister of the country…”

He said the Modi government has developed “panchtirth” associated with Dr Ambedkar and a 450-foot statue is coming up on the Arabian sea coast in Mumbai which will be ready by 2026.

He said Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal, who also belongs to the Buddhist community, said the same thing in the Lok Sabha.

In the Lok Sabha, Meghwal said, ”Congress has always used Baba Saheb’s name for politics. Congress, which defeated Baba Saheb twice in elections and left no stone unturned in insulting him, is today pretending to bring his photo to Parliament due to political compulsion”.

Rajya Sabha LoP and Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said Amit Shah has insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. ”His ideology of Manusmriti and RSS makes it clear that he does not want to respect Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. We condemn this and we demand his resignation. He should apologise to the people of the country…He should resign from his position…”

Congress President Kharge, MPs including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Varsha Gaikwad, Kumari Selja, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, RJD MP Manoj Sinha along with others participated in the protest. The Opposition MPs were seen carrying pictures of Babasaheb Ambedkar.