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 Amit Shah’s comments.
Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kumari Selja and KC Venugopal, and other opposition MPs hold a portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar during a protest amid the winter session of Parliament in New Delhi.
The Congress, on Thursday, criticized the BJP for taking a swipe at the Bharat Bloc in opposition to Amit Shah for his Ambedkar remarks, accusing it of disrespecting the chief architect of the Constitution and seeking to diminish his stature for narrow political ends. 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 removing the Home Minister 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. It is a joke to stand by Ambedkar against his insults. For BJP?” 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.
The opposition on Wednesday seized on Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar that surrounded the government and demanded his resignation, saying he had insulted the architect of the Constitution. Attacks by almost all opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD, Left parties, and Shiv Sena-UBT, adjourned both houses of Parliament and prompted the BJP to come under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the staunch defense of the Shah.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien filed a notice to move a privilege motion against Shah in the Rajya Sabha where the home minister said on Tuesday evening that Congress leaders would get a place in heaven if they chanted God’s name. Rather than following the fashion of repeating Ambedkar’s name.
The hullabaloo in Parliament spread to the national capital and the streets as far as Maharashtra, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In Delhi, hundreds of supporters led by AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal gathered outside the BJP office and staged a protest amid chants of “Amit Shah Mafi Aam, Amit Shah Sharm Karo”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, DMK chief MK Stalin, Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized Shah for his comments.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published by PTI)