NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday responded to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge‘s demand for his resignation, saying if he resigned it would not pull Congress out of the quagmire as the party “is set to remain in the opposition for at least 15 years”.
Amit Shah, who briefed the media to counter Congress’s charges over his Ambedkar remark, said that Kharge, being a Dalit, should “not have supported nefarious effort of the Congress” to distort his remark made in Rajya Sabha.
“Kharge ji is asking for my resignation. If it would have made him happy, I would have resigned, but it will not end his problems because he will have to sit in the same place (in the opposition) for the next 15 years,” the Union home minister said.
Shah said it made him sad that Kharge bent to the pressure of Rahul Gandhi.
“I am very sad that you have also joined this under the pressure of Rahul Gandhi,” the Union home minister said.
“My statement was presented in a distorted manner. Earlier they made PM Narendra Modi‘s edited statements public. When the elections were going on, my statement was edited using AI. And today they are presenting my statement in a distorted manner. I also want to request the media to put my full statement in front of the public. I belong to a party which can never insult Ambedkar ji. First Jan Sangh and then Bharatiya Janata Party have always tried to follow the principles of Ambedkar ji,” Amit Shah said in a press brief.
Shah said whenever the BJP was voted to power it always propagated the principles of Ambedkar and strengthened reservation.
“Whenever the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, we have propagated the principles of Ambedkar ji. The Bharatiya Janata Party has worked to strengthen reservation…I also want to say this to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that you should not have supported this nefarious effort of Congress. I am very sad that you have also joined this under the pressure of Rahul Gandhi,” Amit Shah said.
The Union home minister claimed Congress tried to make a mockery of Ambedkar even after his demise and that Nehru’s hatred towards Ambedkar was well known.
“Congress leaders have given Bharat Ratna to themselves many times. Nehru gave Bharat Ratna to himself in 1955, Indira gave Bharat Ratna to herself in 1971 and Baba Saheb got Bharat Ratna in 1990, when the Congress party was not in power and there was a government supported by the BJP… Nehru’s hatred towards Ambedkar is well known,” he said.
Earlier in the day, in a series of social media posts on X, PM Modi listed “sins” of Congress against Ambedkar and said that the party has indulged in “every dirty trick to obliterate the legacy of Ambedkar and humiliate SC/ST communities”.