Mega parliament protests as both BJP, opposition claim insult to Ambedkar

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, December 19, 2024: Dramatic scenes played out in Parliament today as both the BJP and the Opposition took out protest marches amid the massive row over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dalit icon BR Ambedkar. While the Congress MPs demanded the Home Minister’s resignation, BJP leaders said the Congress had humiliated BR Ambedkar and must apologise.

The Gandhi siblings dressed in blue, symbolising Dalit resistance, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Opposition MPs marched with photographs of BR Ambedkar. Slogans of ’Jai Bheem’ and ’Amit Shah, apologise’ were raised.

The BJP, on the other hand, took out a separate march holding pictures of Ambedkar. At one point, both marches reached the Makar Dwar of Parliament and the MPs from the two sides raised slogans to outshout each other.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur said the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress must apologise to the nation for repeatedly insulting BR Ambedkar. "Why did they not give Bharat Ratna to Dr Ambedkar, they hated him. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the Constitution debate in Parliament, the Congress was exposed and that’s why they are trying to raise this issue," he told NDTV.

A George Soros edit

To turn the tables on the Congress, the BJP’s social media handles today posted a morphed photo of Opposition MPs protesting with photos of BR Ambedkar. In these photos, the Dalit icon’s face had been replaced by that of US billionaire George Soros. The BJP has been alleging that the Congress works with Soros to destabilise the country - a charge that the main Opposition has trashed.

The Congress doubled down on its attack after the BJP’s Soros edit. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the BJP’s "tampering" of the photo shows their mindset. "He (Home Minister Amit Shah) insulted Babasaheb and after that, tampered with Babasaheb’s photo on Twitter. This is a mindset that vandalises the statue of Babasaheb. Who will trust them?" she told news agency ANI.

BJP MP injured, party slams Rahul

Amid the protests, a major political row erupted after BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi was injured on the head. "Rahul Gandhi pushed a member of Parliament who fell on me after which I fell down ...I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me...," he told reporters. The BJP MP was rushed out of the premises in an ambulance.

Mr Gandhi said he was trying to enter the Parliament when he was pushed by BJP MPs protesting near the entrance. He also alleged that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was pushed. "I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, but BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. This has happened...Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed). But we do not get affected by jostling. This is the entrance and we have the right to go in," he told reporters