The Congress party declared a plan to stage demonstrations across the country on December 24, over comments made by Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Such demonstrations are to protest against such remarks of Shah and present the discontent of the party toward his words. Besides this, a convention of Congress MPs and CWC members of AICC has been planned to address the press conferences on 22nd and 23rd December.
From a circular that has been released by the General Secretary (organisation) K.C Venugopal all congress leaders have been directed to join the protest. The party will also organize a ‘Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman March’ in different districts within the country.
The march will start with the district people paying floral tribute to the statue of Ambedkar and will end with the function of submitting a memorandum to the DMs asking them to keep the spirit of Ambedkar alive.
Some regarded it as an attempt to prove that the BSP is keen on protecting the principles for which Ambedkar stood for, since the latter is credited for drafting the Indian Constitution.
The comments that triggered controversy were made by BJP chief Amit Shah during the Parliament winter session on December 18. Shah had accused the Congress of it having become fashionable to use the name of Ambedkar while making a speech adding that if congress was to use the name of God they would have gained seven ‘heavens’.
The Congress party sharply criticised these remarks and called them an insult to the memory of Ambedkar. The BJP, however on a different note has come up in defense of Shah attacking Congress by saying the latter has politicized the name of Ambedkar.
During the winter session of Parliament, MPs from the opposition INDIA bloc took part in several protests over Shah’s comments. These protests led to a tense situation, with Congress MPs demanding an apology and resignation from Amit Shah for his words.
The protests escalated when Congress MPs faced off with BJP members in the Parliament premises. Two BJP MPs, Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, were injured during the altercation, and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that he was also pushed by BJP MPs while trying to enter Parliament.
In a press conference held alongside Rahul Gandhi, Kharge condemned the statements made by Shah and the government’s stance on Ambedkar.
He emphasised that the government, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, should base their comments on facts rather than making baseless accusations. Kharge stressed that such remarks were disrespectful to the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar in shaping India’s democracy.
The Congress leadership has made it clear that these protests are not just about defending Ambedkar but also about standing up for the values of equality, social justice, and the Constitution that Ambedkar championed.
The upcoming protests and marches are expected to gain significant traction as Congress supporters rally behind the cause of respecting and honouring Ambedkar’s legacy.
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