Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the latter's statement in Rajya Sabha on Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Terming Ambedkar as God, Yadav, while speaking to the media, said Shah should resign and retire from politics. "Amit Shah has gone mad. He hates Babasaheb Ambedkar. We have heard and seen what he said. We condemn his madness. Babasaheb Ambedkar was a great personality. Amit Shah should leave politics, resign and go away," he said.
Yadav said any insult to Ambedkar will not be tolerated. "This shows his (Amit Shah's) anti-constitutional thinking," he said.
During a debate on Constitution in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (Dec 17), Shah had said, "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)."
RJD's ruckus in Bihar
The opposition including RJD has been creating a ruckus over Shah's statement in Bihar. RJD's workers and leaders staged protests in Patna. Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav also criticized Shah.
Tejashwi said Shah’s comments were 'highly objectionable' and alleged that they reflected the BJP and RSS’ larger agenda.
“The BJP and RSS have a history of attacking prominent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Karpoori Thakur, Jawaharlal Nehru, and now Ambedkar. The Jan Sangh and now RSS had no role in India’s freedom struggle and are resorting to such attacks because they have “no achievements” to their name,” Tejaswi said.
बाबा साहेब अंबेडकर के चाहने वालों को स्वर्ग नहीं स्वर ही अवश्य चाहिए। संविधान के शिल्पकार के प्रति ऐसी घृणित सोच 𝐁𝐉𝐏 और 𝐑𝐒𝐒 की पाठशाला से ही पनपती है।
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) December 17, 2024
देश के 𝟏𝟎𝟎 करोड़ से अधिक वंचित, उपेक्षित, उत्पीड़ित, शोषित, उपहासित, दलित, पिछड़े, गरीब, अल्पसंख्यक एवं समता, समाजवाद,… pic.twitter.com/Tsn8sjJkbA
He also accused the RSS and Jan Sangh of having “surrendered” to the British during the colonial era, a statement aimed at undermining their credibility in comparison to the towering leaders of the independence movement. He also emphasised the significance of B.R. Ambedkar to the people of Bihar and the country, calling him a source of “fashion, passion, inspiration, and motivation”.
Shah accusing Congress of 'distorting' facts
Reacting to the controversy, Shah on Wednesday hit back at the Congress over the grand old party's seeking the Home Minister's resignation over his comments on Ambedkar.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital alongside senior BJP leaders and Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, JP Nadda, and Ashwini Vaishnav, Shah accused the Congress of distorting facts in the parliament. "Since yesterday, the way Congress has distorted facts is condemnable in the strongest terms. I condemn it," Shah had said.
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