Araria (Bihar) [India], December 18 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on BR Ambedkar, saying that Babasaheb Ambedkar was their "fashion and passion."
Condemning the language used by Shah in Parliament, Yadav accused him and his party of being "anti-constitution" and spreading hatred.
"Babasaheb Ambedkar is our fashion and passion. He is also our motivation and inspiration. We will not let anyone insult Babasaheb Ambedkar. These people are anti-constitution who spread hatred, and the language used in Parliament is condemnable," Yadav, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, told ANI.
The RJD leader further slammed Shah's remarks, stating that the language used reflected the BJP's narrow mindset. Yadav claimed that the RSS and BJP had no Mahapurush (great leaders) of their own and were left only with one job: to insult great personalities like Gandhi, Nehru, and Ambedkar.
"We strongly condemn the statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding Babasaheb Ambedkar. This shows their narrow mindset. Look at his body language, look at his language. In just 17 seconds, you can gauge how much they respect Babasaheb Ambedkar. The RSS and BJP don't have any Mahapurush of their own. They don't have any contribution to the freedom movement. The only thing left for BJP is to abuse great personalities like Gandhi, Kapoori Thakur, Nehru, and Ambedkar," Yadav said.
This came after Amit Shah, in his address to the Rajya Sabha at the conclusion of a two-day discussion on 75 years of the Constitution on Tuesday, lashed out at the Congress party, accusing it of making it a "fashion" to take Ambedkar's name.
The opposition also staged protests on the Parliament premises, holding photographs of the Former Minister of law and Justice
Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also slammed the Congress and BJP over the Ambedkar controversy. She said that instead of using Babasaheb's name for political gain, both parties should show proper respect and reverence towards him.
In a series of posts on X, Mayawati said, "Instead of using Dr BR Ambedkar's name for political gain, both Congress, BJP and their affiliates should show proper respect and reverence towards him. These parties have no objection to their own gods, so they should not interfere in the beliefs of others."
"However, for Dalits and other marginalized communities, BR Ambedkar is the only god, and it is because of him that these communities received legal rights through the Constitution. The day they received these rights, they were blessed with the heaven of seven lifetimes," she added.
Mayawati also claimed that the affection shown by Congress, BJP, and similar parties for Dalits and marginalized communities was nothing but a deception.