The BJP has come under flak for its members staying away from Telangana Legislative Assembly when it passed a resolution requesting the Centre to name the new Parliament building after Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

Some Dalit activists on Wednesday staged a protest in Hyderabad against the BJP for not expressing its stand in the Telangana Assembly over the resolution.

The BJP has been criticized by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as its member was present in the Assembly when the resolution was moved and passed.

Raghunandan Rao was not present in the Assembly while his party colleague Eatala Rajender was suspended from the House for inappropriate remarks against the Speaker. BJP’s third MLA Raja Singh is currently in jail.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Wednesday that he has forwarded to the Union government the request for naming the new Parliament building after Ambedkar.

Sanjay said based on representation given by balladeer Gaddar for naming the Central Vista after Ambedkar, he has forwarded the request.

The BJP leader’s tweet came a day after Telangana Legislature unanimously passed a resolution, requesting the Centre to name the new Parliament building after Ambedkar.

The TRS government had moved the resolution after Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had made a request to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

The chief minister asserted that there was no better person than Ambedkar for the new Parliament building to be named after.

Meanwhile, TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao hoped that the BJP-led NDA government would respond positively to the request. “Telangana State Legislature has unanimously resolved that the new Parliament should be named after Bharat Ratna Dr. BR Ambedkar Ji It is befitting to name the highest abode of democracy after the Chief Architect of Indian constitution Hope that the NDA Govt will respond positively,” tweeted Rama Rao.

Gaddar on Tuesday met the CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka and MLAs D. Sreedhar Babu and Seethakka and thanked the Congress for ensuring that the Assembly passed a resolution.

Gaddar said Vikramarka played a crucial role in impressing upon the chief minister to pass the resolution. He said similar resolutions should be passed in all the Assemblies in the country.