The party has said that Shah has committed an ‘unforgivable crime’ and the home minister should apologize to the nation and resign.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson and president of social media and digital platforms Supriya Sreenathe claimed that Congress leaders, its MPs and the party’s official handle, including herself, had received the email from ‘X’, the Indian government said. They asked to delete Shah’s speech which they had shared.
He, however, added that the ‘X’ platform refused to delete it in the spirit of freedom of expression. She said, if Shah thinks there is nothing wrong in his speech, why did his ministry ask him to delete ‘X’.
Srinath clarified that the original speech he shared was Shah’s and had not been edited or distorted.
Also, she showed the 34-page unedited text of her speech available on the Rajya Sabha website where she clearly said, “It has become a fashion to mention Dr Ambedkar’s name and if they (opposition leaders) recite God’s name many times, they get heaven for seven births.”
Asserting that it was “insulting and insulting” to the framers of the Constitution, the Congress spokesperson said that Shah displayed the same mentality of his ideological forefathers who always opposed Ambedkar and denounced him as “anti-Hindu”.
Sreenathe also slammed the BJP and its ‘X’ handlers for defacing pictures of Congress leaders carrying pictures of Ambedkar in protest against Shah’s insult.
She pointed out how Ambedkar’s picture on the BJP’s ‘X’ handle was replaced with that of George Soros, whom the BJP calls “anti-national”.
“How dare the BJP replace Dr Ambedkar’s picture? It is the same ease with which they can replace the Constitution of India,” he asserted.
Reiterating his party’s demand that Shah should apologize to the nation and resign, Srinathe said the Congress would not be cowed or intimidated by the BJP’s arm-twisting tactics.
She alleged that BJP leaders like Shah and their official social media accounts are showing the same contempt and hatred towards Ambedkar that their forefathers and the RSS always held.
The opposition party’s attack came over a social media post by the BJP in which it posted a photo of Bharat Bloc MPs protesting in Parliament on Wednesday against Shah’s comments.
However, during the protest, the photo of Ambedkar was edited and replaced by the photo of American billionaire George Soros. Also, the background with ‘We Love Soros’ written on it was changed.
“Hello, Congress and Bharat Alliance. We have fixed the image for you. You are welcome,” the BJP said in its post.
The BJP has gone on the offensive after it claimed opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had links with George Soros-backed outfits allegedly involved in anti-India activities.
Sharing a screenshot of the BJP’s social media post and the original photo of the protest, Congress general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal said, “BJP is shameless in insulting and ridiculing Dr Ambedkar.”
“Instead of ensuring that the Home Minister is removed from his post for the great injury caused to crores of Babasaheb’s followers by Amit Shah’s remarks, they are doubling down on ridicule.”
Is it a joke for BJP to stand against Ambedkar’s insult? He posed.
“They are bringing their rotten lies even on a sensitive topic like Dr Ambedkar’s legacy because they do not respect him and want to diminish his stature for their narrow political goals,” Venugopal said in his post on X.