The Congress-led INDIA bloc has mounted a full-blown effort over the Ambedkar row, but Union Home Minister Amit Shah is unlikely to take any major political step, such as resigning from his position, as demanded by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The BJP asserts that Congress is deliberately misinterpreting Shah’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha to build a false narrative for political gain, and this narrative will not endure. Shah’s resignation, if the Congress is able to secure it, will add more credibility to the ‘false narrative’.
Shah’s statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, when considered in its entirety, clearly shows that he was not insulting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar but rather ‘exposing’ the Congress party’s ‘opportunistic use’ of the Dalit icon’s name for electoral benefits, sources aware of the BJP party’s deliberation said.
Shah’s comments came during a discussion on the 75-year journey of the Constitution, where he highlighted examples and quotes to argue that the Congress party denied Dr. B.R. Ambedkar the recognition he deserved during his lifetime, even as the party leaders now frequently invoke his name for electoral gains.
Citing letters written by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Shah pointed out how Nehru once remarked that Ambedkar’s absence from the cabinet would not significantly impact governance.
Attacking the Congress, Shah remarked, “Now, 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 for seven lives.” The comment was meant to highlight Congress’s political opportunism, not to insult Ambedkar, as is clear from his entire speech.
On Wednesday, Kharge, while demanding his resignation, accused Shah of “insulting” the Dalit icon, who commands deep respect across the country, particularly among Dalit communities who make up nearly 17% of India’s population.
This demand by Kharge is a calculated political attempt to push an “anti-Dalit” narrative against the BJP and, by extension, the Modi government. This strategy by the opposition is being employed despite clear evidence that Shah’s statement highlighted the Congress’s alleged opportunism with regards to Ambedkar.
In an unexpected move, Prime Minister Modi decided to take the political attack head on, and launched a strong counterattack against Congress on Wednesday, calling out its “malicious lies” and “rotten ecosystem” in a six-post thread on social media platform ‘X.’ Following this, Shah held a press conference, where he reiterated that Congress was distorting facts and creating a false narrative.
The Prime Minister likely decided to personally debunk this attempt at creating a false narrative, leveraging his position as the most credible and trusted voice of the government and the BJP. Considering the deep penetration of social media and the internet, there was a significant possibility that this anti-BJP narrative, built on a deliberately misleading interpretation, could have quickly spread among the masses.
Shah’s complete statement in Parliament, when reviewed in totality, suggests no insult to Ambedkar, but rather a critique of Congress’s inconsistent stance on Ambedkar’s legacy.
The importance of Shah, considered as among the closest colleagues of PM Modi, to the government is not lost on the opposition.
Shah, a seasoned politician, who has worked his way up, step by step, is very much aware of the importance of Ambedkar in Indian politics. His statements on Ambedkar were delivered with a prepared script, underscoring his careful approach.
Sources within the BJP argue that the Congress’s move to paint the government as “anti-Dalit” through this controversy is unlikely to succeed, as the evidence does not support such a narrative. Rather, the BJP views it as an attempt to weaken Shah, a prominent leader with significant influence in Indian politics.
Given the context of Shah’s comments and the subsequent defense mounted by the government, there is no indication that Prime Minister Modi will entertain the resignation demand. Instead, the BJP is likely to mount a political offensive to use the controversy instigated by the Congress to further ‘expose’ Congress’s historical stance and political strategies with regards to dalits and Ambedkar.