Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party MP KC Venugopal at a press conference at AICC headquarters in New Delhi. | Photo Courtesy: Shivkumar Pushpakar
Home Minister Amit Shah Dr. Commenting that naming Bhimrao Ambedkar has become a “fashion”, the Congress has announced plans to hold a nationwide press conference on Saturday (December 21, 2024) and name Ambedkar. respect (respect) march in a few days.
“We will fight to protect the legacy of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Manusmriti Worshipers! Congress next week Dr. Ambedkar Samman will be observed as a week,” party general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal announced in a post on X.
Congress MPs, party working committee members and senior party leaders will hold 150 press conferences in their respective constituencies and home districts on Sunday and Monday.
“On December 24, across the country, we will organize Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman Marches and submit a memorandum to the President of India through District Collectors demanding Amit Shah’s resignation,” Mr. Venugopal added.
The speed with which the party has reacted to Mr Shah’s comments is unusual, but it is clearly aimed at reviving the political narrative that the BJP is out to end reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
This story is linked to the call of the BJP 400 para (above 400 seats), proved to be a powerful weapon in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But it seemed to have run its course, as was evident in the recent assembly elections, where the BJP won an impressive victory.
So, Mr. Shah’s comments were an opening for the Congress to revive its BJP-want-to-end reservation narrative. Text Dr. Ambedkar may be but the subtext is reservation.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said Mr Shah’s comments reflected an “anti-reservation mentality”.
“They (BJP) always said that they will change the constitution. They are against the constitution, against AmbedkarGHis ideology. Their entire focus is to eliminate AmbedkarGcontribution,” Mr. Gandhi said on Wednesday.
Less than 24 hours after Mr. Shah’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Congress MPs were carrying pictures and portraits of Ambedkar to apologize to him and demand his resignation.
Revitalization of the organization
The main opposition party surely knew that the second most powerful minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet would not resign over his off-the-cuff remarks. But Mr. Venugopal on December 18 directed state units to cordon off the Raj Bhavan — the center’s symbol in the state — across the country over alleged insults to the architect of the Constitution.
After consecutive defeats in Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections, the morale of workers has plummeted and the defeat has also put a damper on the perception that the Congress is on the road to revival.
In this background, the party gets some satisfaction for forcing the Home Minister to clarify his comments by holding a press conference till evening. “Whatever Amit Shah does, those 12 seconds will haunt him,” Gaurav Gogoi, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said on Friday.
Bring allies together
Significantly, protests and face-offs with NDA MPs in Parliament over alleged insults to Ambedkar and, subsequently, getting a First Information Report filed by BJP MPs against Mr Gandhi for allegedly pushing two of his colleagues to the Indian National Development Committee. Forming an inclusive alliance with the Congress.
The Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar), the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the National Conference were Mr. Gandhi’s allies. This will give some relief to the Congress, as most of these constituents of the opposition faction were questioning the Congress faction’s claim to be the leader.
Fodder for NDA allies
The last, but perhaps most important, calculation is to make BJP allies uncomfortable. With assembly elections in Bihar due next year, any story that seeks to question the BJP’s “commitment” to reservations will hurt both the ruling party and its ally Janata Dal (United).
The Telugu Desam Party and the Shiv Sena also cannot ignore the political implications, if the opposition can advance its narrative on reservations in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
published – Dec 21, 2024 at 05:38 pm IST