The BSP chief urged the Union Home Minister to retract his statement and express regret, warning that failing to do so would leave Babasaheb's followers neither forgetting nor forgiving the incident.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Thursday, December 19, 2024, called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to retract his recent remark about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, stating that it has insulted Dr. Ambedkar's followers and undermined the dignity of the Dalit icon. Her remarks come amid ongoing exchanges between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress-led Opposition over Mr. Shah's controversial statement made in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the Home Minister remarked that Congress leaders might have earned a place in heaven if they had invoked the name of God as frequently as they mention Dr. Ambedkar.He said, “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. Had they taken the name of God so many times, they would have got a place in heaven).
BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati condemned the remarks made by BJP leader Amit Shah about Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the revered architect of the Indian Constitution and a messiah for Dalits and marginalized communities. She stated that Mr. Shah's words deeply disrespected Babasaheb’s dignity and have caused widespread anger and resentment among his followers nationwide. “He must retract his statement and express regret for his words. Otherwise, Babasaheb’s followers will neither forget nor forgive this incident,” she said in a statement issued from Lucknow.
Mayawati also criticized the Congress, accusing the party of failing to give due respect to Dr. Ambedkar in the past. “Babasaheb’s supporters still remember the injustices committed by the Congress against him and will never forgive the party, regardless of its so-called change in conduct,” she remarked. She further alleged that after Ambedkar’s death, the Congress attempted to erase his name and contributions to the making of the Constitution from the annals of history.