New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday defended Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s allegations of insulting Dr BR Ambedkar by the opposition and claimed it was the Congress and its “ecosystem” that had insulted the architect of the Constitution for decades.
Opposition parties, particularly the Congress, demanded an apology from Shah after a brief 15-second clip from his hour-long address in the Rajya Sabha was highlighted on Tuesday. They claimed that Dr. Ambedkar was insulted by his statement. Shah’s speech focused on the “glorious journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India”.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the Prime Minister dismissed the opposition’s claims as “malicious lies”. He accused the Congress of having a “dark history” of insulting Dr Ambedkar, citing examples such as denying him the Bharat Ratna, preventing his portrait from being displayed in the central hall of Parliament and working to defeat him in elections.
“People have seen how a dynastic-led party has made every move to erase Dr Ambedkar’s legacy and weaken the SC/ST communities,” Modi said. He emphasized that during the Congress rule, these communities were subjected to the most atrocities.
The Prime Minister also shared a two-and-a-half-minute excerpt of Shah’s Rajya Sabha speech and said the Congress was “shocked and shocked” by the facts presented. He said Dr. Five important sites associated with Ambedkar’s life – including the development of “Panchatirtha” and initiatives like Swachh Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission. Listed several measures taken by the present government to honor Ambedkar’s vision. The poor and marginalized benefited.
“Our respect and reverence for Dr Ambedkar is absolute,” Modi declared, adding that his government’s record stood in contrast to what he described as Congress’s historical neglect and disrespect for the iconic leader.