The Congress on Tuesday slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on Dr B R Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha, demanding an immediate apology. Shah, during a two-day discussion marking 75 years of the Constitution, accused the Congress of using Ambedkar’s name as a “fashion.”

“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 said, taking a dig at the opposition party.

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The home minister further asserted that while the BJP welcomes Congress invoking Ambedkar’s legacy, the party must reflect on its true sentiments toward him.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, hit back sharply at Shah’s remarks.

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Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, claimed that those who believe in Manusmriti will naturally oppose Ambedkar.

Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, accused Shah and the BJP of “insulting” Ambedkar. “Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar did not allow this to happen, that is why there is so much hatred towards him,” Kharge wrote on X. “The ministers of Modi government should understand carefully that for crores of people like me, Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar is no less than God”, Kharge said, adding, “He is and will always be the messiah of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and the poor.”

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Jairam Ramesh, Venugopal demand apology

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh condemned Shah’s remarks as “disgusting,” alleging they reflect the BJP-RSS’s deep-seated hatred for Ambedkar. “Amit Shah should apologise to the country,” Ramesh said.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also rebuked Shah, describing Ambedkar as equivalent to God and the Constitution as a holy book for millions. “How dare you speak of Dr. Ambedkar with such disdain?” Venugopal wrote on X, accusing the BJP of being “worshippers of Manusmriti” and rejecting Ambedkar’s ideas.