Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge has landed in major controversy over his statement about Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In an impassioned statement while interacting with the media in Kalaburagi, Kharge fired a statement that has raised the political temperature.
In his comments, Kharge compared Shah to someone who had been bitten by a rabid dog, a remark that has been widely criticised.
He said, “I don’t know, if at all, I will be granted a place in heaven if I chant the name of God in 7 incarnations, but if I chant the name of Ambedkar in just one birth, we shall get political, social, economic rights along with a life with dignity”.
These words were hurled at Shah with reference to the remarks he made earlier that stirred a hornet’s nest within the political field.
The temerity of Kharge did not stop at this but proceeded to brand Amit Shah as one who was against the philosophy of BR Ambedkar who wrote Indian Constitution not to talk of equality.
From all that Kharge said, he accuses Shah of reducing the role played by Ambedkar to the country, especially in empowering the downtrodden sector in India.
He was blunt in his criticism and described the Union Home Minister post as a person ”biting a rabid dog” which has added further aggressiveness to the political environment.
We should pay attention to what Priyank Kharge said, because he is not only the Congress MLA, but the son of Mallikarjun Kharge, a present Congress president.
He is currently the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in the Government of Karnataka, and therefore, whatever he speaks bears a lot of political influence within the state.
Kharge’s statement has quickly gone viral especially due to the numerous abuses in it. Both the opposition and an ordinary citizen who has been angered and insulted by the comparison of a senior political leader like Amit Shah to rabid dogs cannot fathom the audacity of the AAP leadership.
Commentators have termed such statements as being provocative and although such sentiments make people charged with patriotism, they only widen the political polarization gap and cause rivalry between different political parties. Politics they say should not be a do or die affair and thus should not involve character assassinations.
On the other hand, those who stand for Kharge have successfully defended his words and claimed that all he is saying is the dissatisfaction those people have because the present regime is eroding such principles of equality that Ambedkar stands for.
The Indian National Congress, has at times staged itself as the party fighting for a Dalit leader’s vision and social justice, considers itself as the protectors of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision. They are claimed to be an equally powerful reiteration of this ideological position because Kharge’s words were controversial.
The timing of these comments is also important. The controversy surrounding Amit Shah’s statements about BR Ambedkar and his views on equality had already been brewing, and Kharge’s intervention only served to escalate the matter.
His remarks came on the heels of a statement made by Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha, which had sparked protests across various sections of the political spectrum.
While Shah’s words were widely seen as insensitive by his critics, Kharge’s blunt language has added fuel to the fire, turning the issue into an even more contentious one.
Furthermore, Priyank Kharge’s father, Mallikarjun Kharge, is a senior leader in the Congress party and has been vocal in his support for Ambedkar’s legacy.
Given the father-son duo's prominent positions in the Congress party, it is clear that the remarks made by Priyank Kharge are not just personal views but a part of the larger political narrative being framed by the party in opposition to the ruling BJP government.
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