Congress Plans Nationwide Protests Over Amit Shah's Ambedkar Remarks

The Congress party has announced plans for nationwide protests on Tuesday, (December 24), in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's controversial remarks on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The protests, dubbed the 'Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman March,' will take place across all districts, starting with garlanding Ambedkar's statues and culminating in the submission of memorandums to the respective District Magistrates.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, in a circular directed all party leaders to actively participate. The circular also said that all party Members of Parliament (MPs) and Central Working Committee (CWC) members will hold press conferences in their constituencies on December 22 and 23, addressing Shah's remarks.

The controversy stems from Shah's comments in Parliament on December 18 during the recently concluded winter session, where he criticized Congress for frequently invoking Ambedkar’s name. Shah remarked, "If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar then they would have got heaven for seven lives."

The remarks sparked outrage among Congress leaders, who demanded an apology and Shah’s resignation, labeling the comments as an "insult" to Ambedkar. Protests by INDIA bloc MPs in Parliament followed, with Congress accusing the BJP of disrespecting Ambedkar's legacy.

The BJP, however, staged counter-protests, accusing Congress of politicizing Ambedkar's name. The face-off escalated on Parliament premises, reportedly injuring BJP MPs Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also alleged being pushed during the commotion.