New Delhi [India], December 18 : AAP MP Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark on BR Ambedkar and demanded an apology from BJP and Amit Shah, stating that words used by him were "unfortunate."
Pathak alleged that it is not the first time that the BJP has insulted the Constitution.
Speaking to ANI, Pathak said, "It is not new for the BJP to insult the Constitution... The words used by Amit Shah in the Parliament are unfortunate. The Constitution is the base of our country. So much hatred towards the person who made the Constitution?... We demand that the BJP and Amit Shah must apologise to the nation..."
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark, saying that the way BJP is "insulting" someone who gave the Constitution is not acceptable.
"How Amit Shah spoke in the Parliament yesterday, he displayed insolence. He said that taking Ambedkar's name has become fashion and that had they taken God's name as much they would have been in heaven. Who are you? Ambedkar ji is a personality not bound by any side...How BJP is insulting someone who gave us the Constitution is not acceptable to us," he said.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over Amit Shah's remark on Ambedkar, saying "They are against Ambedkar ji and his ideology."
Rahul Gandhi further alleged that BJP wanted to "finish" the constitution, BR Ambedkar's work.
"This is against the Constitution. They were saying from the beginning that they would change the Constitution. They are against Ambedkar ji and his ideology. Their only work is to finish the Constitution and the work done by Ambedkar ji. The entire country knows this," Rahul Gandhi said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday defended Amit Shah's remarks on Babasaheb Ambedkar and said that Shah exposed the Congress' dark history of insulting Ambedkar after which they were clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented.
In a series of posts on X, PM Modi said that Congress sat in power for years but did nothing to empower the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
"In Parliament, Amit Shah Ji exposed the Congress' dark history of insulting Dr Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities. They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth! Congress can try as they want but they can't deny that the worst massacres against SC/ST Communities have happened under their regimes. For years, they sat in power but did nothing substantive to empower the SC and ST communities," PM Modi said.
This came after Amit Shah lashed out at the Congress party and said that it had become a 'fashion' for the party to take Ambedkar's name.
"If they had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar then they would have got heaven for seven lives," Shah said.