West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly condemned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks about Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, calling them derogatory and an affront to millions who revere the architect of India’s Constitution.
In a post on X, Mamata accused Shah of tarnishing the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Constitution, which was being discussed in Parliament. “The mask has fallen!” she wrote, criticizing Shah’s comments as a display of the BJP’s casteist and anti-Dalit stance. She further stated that if the BJP had gained a larger majority, they might have erased Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions from history entirely.
Mamata’s attack came after Shah, during a speech in the Rajya Sabha, referred to the Congress party’s repeated invocation of Ambedkar’s name as a “fashion.” Shah quipped, “If Congress had mentioned God’s name this many times, they would have earned a place in heaven.” His comments were met with strong disapproval from opposition leaders.
Mamata went on to call Shah’s words an insult to the legacy of Dr. Ambedkar, who is revered as the Father of the Constitution, and to the diverse members of the Constitution Drafting Committee. “This outrageous remark is not only an attack on Dr. Ambedkar but on the very fabric of our Constitution,” Mamata said, accusing the BJP of spreading hate and bigotry.
The opposition, led by Congress, has demanded Shah’s resignation over the comments. Rajya Sabha’s Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, also called for an apology, emphasizing that any continued disrespect toward Ambedkar would lead to widespread unrest across the country.
