Srinagar, Dec 18 :
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday addressed a press conference at the BJP headquarters, highlighting B.R. Ambedkar’s strong opposition to Article 370, which had accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The Minister’s statement comes amid controversy over his remarks regarding Ambedkar and the Congress party’s historical stance on constitutional values.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) correspondent, in the press briefing, Shah criticized the Congress for its alleged distortion of facts during the parliamentary debate on the 75 years of India’s progress, referred to as the Gaurav Yatra and Vikas Yatra. He emphasized that discussions in democratic forums like
B.R. Ambedkar was
Parliament should always be rooted in facts and truth, which he claimed the Congress had failed to uphold.
“The Congress Party has consistently undermined the values of B.R. Ambedkar. From opposing Ambedkar during his lifetime to leaving no stone unturned to defeat him in the elections of 1951-52 and 1954, the Congress has shown its anti-Ambedkar stance,” Shah alleged. He further accused the Congress of being anti-reservation, anti-constitution, and of repeatedly distorting Ambedkar’s legacy for political gain.
Reiterating Ambedkar’s role in opposing Article 370, Shah said, “B.R. Ambedkar was the greatest opponent of Article 370. He believed in the unity and integrity of India.
The Minister also launched a scathing attack on the Congress for its imposition of the Emergency, undermining the judiciary, and “insulting martyrs of the army” by compromising India’s territorial integrity. According to him, these actions reveal a pattern of the Congress prioritizing political expediency over national interest.
“The BJP has always been the true defender of Ambedkar’s legacy while the Congress’s misrepresentation of history has been exposed during the recent parliamentary debate”.
Shah furthermore, condemned the Congress for allegedly attempting to spread misconceptions in society by “dressing the truth in the garb of falsehood.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday hit out at the Congress for distorting his remarks on BR Ambedkar and said the way the grand old party has tried to distort the facts since yesterday is extremely “reprehensible and condemnable”.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Amit Shah said, ‘I come from a party which follows the ideals of Ambedkar. We have preached his ideas and have strengthened the reservations in India”.
“In Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party members gave examples of how the Constitution was attacked and wounded by the Congress, the Home Minister said. “This has proved that the Congress is anti-Ambedkar, anti-Constitution, anti-Savarkar,” he said.
The Minister said, “The discussion on the Constitution left the Congress with no answer to the charge that the party is against Ambedkar, Savarkar and reservation… I would have been happy if the Congress had countered my speech with facts but they edited it and gave it a different meaning altogether”.
Shah alleged that Congress leaders have awarded Bharat Ratna to themselves many times but Baba Saheb got Bharat Ratna in 1990 when Congress was not in power and there was a BJP supported government.
“In 1955, Nehru Ji awarded Bharat Ratna to himself, in 1971 Indira Ji awarded Bharat Ratna to herself” he said.
The Home Minister said, “I would also like to tell Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that you should not have supported this nefarious effort of the Congress…adding that I am very sad that you have also joined this under pressure from Rahul Gandhi”.
Amit Shah’ s remarks came after the Congress today demanded his resignation for his remarks in the Rajya Sabha which it claimed were an “insult” to B.R. Ambedkar.
The Opposition party also demanded that Amit Shah should apologise publicly and in Parliament for his remarks.
