New Delhi: The BJP on Monday accused the Congress of running a smear campaign against Union Home Minister Amit Shah after his remarks in the Rajya Sabha allegedly insulted Dr BR Ambedkar.
The ruling party said that instead of indulging in “drama”, the Congress should apologize for “insulting and insulting” Ambedkar. The saffron party also accused the Congress of using out of context a small portion of Mr Shah’s recent speech in the Rajya Sabha to “establish its political identity”.
“The Congress, which has always insulted BR Ambedkar, is holding press conferences across the country. Stop this drama. Stop this hypocrisy,” senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference at the party headquarters.
“First apologize publicly and then hold a press conference,” Mr. Prasad said.
He also said that the opposition party’s efforts will not be successful as the people of the country have matured.
“The Congress party’s recent show of praise for Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar is nothing more than a hollow play. Congress’s past actions completely contradict their present stand,” the BJP leader said.
Mr Prasad said the BJP would hold press conferences across the country to “expose” the Congress by telling people how the party and its leaders insulted Ambedkar.
“We have all the evidence,” he added.
The BJP leader slammed Congress general secretary KC Venugopal for describing the FIR against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha as a “badge of honour” in connection with last week’s tussle between ruling and opposition MPs on the Parliament premises.
“A case was filed against Rahul Gandhi for pushing and beating up (BJP) MPs and a Congress general secretary close to him said it was a badge of honor in their fight to honor the legacy of BR Ambedkar… What a bundle of lies,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi has “worn the badge of disrespect for insulting and dishonoring Ambedkar’s legacy”, he alleged.
Mr. Prasad said the BJP believes that all those who have made “some honest efforts” to build the nation should be respected.
“This is the difference (between Congress and BJP)… We also respect our arch rivals who have tried to build the country in their own way. We have published a book on EMS Nambudiripad. [CPI(M) leader and Kerala’s first chief minister] When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister,” he said.
After the BJP assumed power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan was awarded the Padma Bhushan and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, he added.
Asked about Jawaharlal Nehru, Prasad said, “The biggest proof of respect for our rivals is the Prime Minister’s memorial and museum. Earlier there was only Nehru’s memorial. Now there is a (memorial) monument for every Prime Minister. The country should remember. All Prime Ministers.”
Continuing the agitation against Amit Shah, who accused him of insulting Ambedkar while participating in the debate on the Constitution in the Upper House last week, the Congress will hold a nationwide press conference and ‘Ambedkar Samman’ walk in the coming days. a few days
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, “It has become the BJP’s fashion to blame Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and past Congress leaders. They use this tactic when there is no response to the pressing issues of India today.”
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress has announced an “Ambedkar Samman March” in Jammu on Tuesday to press for the fulfillment of the demands. “We demand Mr. Shah’s resignation besides a public apology for his comments about Ambedkar in Parliament. We will continue to fight for it,” Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir working president Raman Bhalla told reporters. news agency.