Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she was shocked by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent comments about BR Ambedkar and that he was “insulted”.
Addressing a gathering during the inauguration of the ‘Kolkata Christmas Festival’ at Allen Park on Park Street, Banerjee said, “I am shocked by the comments made about Babasaheb Ambedkar … I feel bad to see Babasaheb being disparaged.”
A controversy erupted over Amit Shah’s speech during the debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, when he said, “Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar” has become fashionable. If one takes God’s name many times, one will get a place in heaven.”
Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar were a demonstration of BJP’s “racist and anti-Dalit mentality”.
“The mask has fallen! As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to tarnish the occasion with derogatory remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of democracy. This is a display of BJP’s casteist and anti-Dalit mentality. 240 If they behave like this after reducing the seats, imagine how much loss they would have caused to Dr. Ambedkar if the dream of 400 seats came true History was rewritten to be completely erased,” Banerjee posted on X on Wednesday.
Calling the comments insulting, the Chief Minister claimed that it was an insult to millions of people who looked to Ambedkar for guidance and inspiration. “…. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is the father of the Constitution, this outrageous comment is an attack not only on him but on all the members of the Constitution Drafting Committee…,” she further wrote on X.
Meanwhile, in her address, CM Banerjee alleged that the BJP-led central government had “removed December 25 from the list of national holidays”. “The central government canceled the December 25 holiday… in our state, it will continue. All festivals in our state are celebrated by people of all castes and religions,” she said. – With PTI
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