What’s the big row over Dr Ambedkar rocking Indian politics?

Indian politics is in an uproar.

And it’s all over Dr BR Ambedkar.

The opposition has accused Home Minister Amit Shah of insulting the Indian icon and Dalit leader.

The Congress has demanded Shah’s resignation as well as an apology.

But what happened? What did Shah say? What has been the fallout? And how has BJP responded?

Let’s take a closer look:

What happened?

Shah made the remarks in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

As per Hindustan Times, Shah’s comments came during his speech concluding the two-day debate on the “Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India.”

Shah brought up Ambedkar’s name to slam the opposition.

As per India Today, Shah 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).

Shah also slammed the Congress’ ‘appeasement politics’ and claimed that the party wanted to breach the 50 per cent quota limit to provide reservation to Muslims.

He also asked the Congress if it supported the Muslim personal law and alleged that the party never worked for the welfare of the backward classes. Shah asserted that the BJP has already brought in a common civil code (Uniform Civil Code) in Uttarakhand and will implement it in all states.

Shah’s words on Ambedkar sparked outrage from the opposition.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “The insult that Home Minister Amit Shah has done to Baba Saheb in the House today has once again proved that BJP/ RSS were against the Tricolour, opposed the Ashoka Chakra, and wanted to implement Manusmriti instead of the Constitution. Babasaheb did not let that happen, that is why there is so much hatred towards him.”

Kharge said the Home Minister accused us of speaking about Ambedkar 100 times and “told us that had we remembered God so many times we could have achieved heaven seven times”.

“The ‘insult’ caused to Babasaheb Ambedkar by Amit Shah is wrong. I demand his resignation,” he told reporters in Parliament premises.

“Shah has insulted Babasaheb and the Constitution written by him,” Kharge, who was flanked by other opposition leaders, charged.

“The ideology of Manusmriti and RSS shows that they do not want to give respect to Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution. That is why we, all parties, demand his resignation and he should apologise to the country,” the Congress chief said.

“If he continues to talk like this, there will be fire across the country if anyone insults Babasaheb Ambedkar like this. We parties would not accept such an insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely be at odds with Ambedkar.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said all Pradesh Congress Committees will be holding marches at all Raj Bhavans across the country on Wednesday over the Ambedkar remarks issue and also the Adani row.

“In protest against the Adani mega corruption scandal and the PM’s complicity in shielding Adani, the deteriorating situation in Manipur and the Home Minister’s insult to Dr. Ambedkar, all Pradesh Congress Committees will be holding marches at all Raj Bhavans across the country today,” Venugopal said on X.

Earlier addressing a press conference, Congress MP Neeraj Dangi said his party demands Shah’s apology for the remarks.

“In Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah Ji said that taking the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar Ji has become a fashion. This is a direct insult to the Dalits of the country and Babasaheb,” he said.

Shah has shown the whole country what kind of thinking BJP leaders have, he said.

“The deprived and exploited class, which they have insulted, this is the same class which will reduce them from 240 to 40,” Dangi said.

“On behalf of the Congress party, I demand that Amit Shah ji should apologise publicly and in the House. Considering what he has said about Babasaheb Ambedkar, he has lost the right to hold a constitutional post,” Dangi said.

Shah should resign from the post of Home Minister, Dangi added.

What’s the fallout been?

On Wednesday, the opposition parties protested in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

According to India Today, the opposition MPs held raised ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Amit Shah maafi maango’ slogans within the Parliament complex.

A number of senior Congress leaders including Kharge, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi held up photos of the Dalit leader, as per Hindustan Times.

Kharge claimed they were denied a chance to respond to Shah in Parliament.

Kharge, reacting to Shah’s remarks, said, “We all tried… when Amit Shah was speaking about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. He said that if we would have taken God’s name this many times, then we would have gone to heaven seven times. I raised my hand at that time as well, but I wasn’t given a chance to speak then. We all decided to cooperate and were sitting silently because we were having a discussion on the Constitution.”

“We all protested today against this. I demand his resignation,” Kharge said.

According to India Today, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien has moved a privilege motion against Shah in the Rajya Sabha.

O’Brien claimed that the remarks were an insult to the legacy of Ambedkar as well as the dignity of the House.

He said that Shah’s remarks violated parliamentary decorum.

Mamata Banerjee also slammed the Union home minister over his speech.

“The mask has fallen! As Parliament reflects on 75 glorious years of the Constitution, HM @AmitShah chose to TARNISH this occasion with DEROGATORY remarks against Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, that too in the temple of Democracy,” she wrote on X.

“This is a display of BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mindset. If this is how they behave after being reduced to 240 seats, imagine the damage they would’ve inflicted if their dream of 400 seats had been realised. They’d have rewritten history to entirely erase Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions,” she alleged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said Shah’s remarks show the BJP’s “arrogance” and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take action against him.

Thackeray accused the BJP of insulting icons and revered figures of Maharashtra, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr Ambedkar.

He also claimed Shah would not have dared to make remarks about Dr Ambedkar without the backing of the BJP and the RSS.

“Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr Ambedkar show the party’s (BJP) arrogance and have exposed its true face,” the former Maharashtra CM claimed.

He asked whether the BJP’s allies – Telugu Desam Party, JD(U), Ramdas Athawale’s RPI and Shiv Sena, – agree with Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after the constant protests from the opposition.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House for the day after members of both the treasury benches and the opposition raised slogans against each other

PC Mohan, who was chairing the proceedings in the Lok Sabha, also adjourned the House for the day after constant disruptions and sloganeering.

How has the BJP responded?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended Shah in a series of posts on X.

Modi said Shah “exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities.”

“They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth!”

“It is due to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar that we are what we are! Our Government has worked tirelessly to fulfil the vision of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar over the last decade,” Modi added.

As per Hindustan Times, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju also went on the attack against the opposition.

Rijiju said India knows “what all the PM has done to pay tributes to Ambedkar. We have done many things to pay tributes to him.”

Rijiju questioned why Ambedkar left Nehru’s Cabinet in 1951.

“They defeated him again. So he had to take deeksha in Nagpur and retired from politics,” he said speaking outside Parliament.

“It is only PM Modi and the BJP that is following the ideals of Ambedkar,” Rijiju added.

With inputs from agencies