Opinion | Amit Shah And Ambedkar: The Hard Facts

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Last Updated:December 23, 2024, 13:42 IST

Congress cries foul over Shah's Ambedkar remarks, but their own history of neglecting Babasaheb's legacy is damning. In stark contrast, the Modi government has consistently upheld Ambedkar’s values and principles

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the man the Opposition loves to hate and the reasons are many. (Image/PTI File)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the man the Opposition loves to hate, and the reasons are many. Shah is a no-nonsense person whose tenure has been phenomenally successful. Be it the abrogation of Article 370, reduction in Naxal violence, strengthening of the UAPA and FCRA norms, empowering the BSF, or making the Northeast free of insurgency, Amit Shah’s track record has been exemplary, far superior than any of his predecessors.

Under Shah’s leadership, 287 Naxalites have been neutralised, over 1,000 arrested, and 837 have surrendered in recent times. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the construction of 15,000 houses in Naxal-affected regions. The abrogation of Article 370, a historic move by the Modi government, has, over the past five years, resulted in a 100 per cent decline in stone-pelting incidents, a 69 per cent reduction in terror attacks, an 80 per cent decrease in civilian casualties, and a 44 per cent drop in armed forces’ casualties in Jammu and Kashmir. Needless to say, it is Amit Shah’s relentless and tireless efforts that have restored normalcy in Kashmir.

As the saying goes, success breeds enemies, and it is therefore unsurprising that in the winter session of Parliament, which concluded last week, Shah was targeted by the Opposition. His remarks on Ambedkar were misquoted and twisted out of context with malicious intent to malign him. However, the Opposition failed to realise that Shah has risen from the ashes like a phoenix time and again. Each time the Congress tried to write his political obituary, it was forced to eat humble pie.

Shah holds the highest respect for Babasaheb Ambedkar, which he has demonstrated by standing up for the rights of Valmikis, who were brutally suppressed under successive Congress regimes. It is worth noting that Valmikis were denied even the right to vote or aspire to a life of dignity, largely due to Article 370—Nehru’s biggest blunder among many other Nehruvian disasters. However, by abrogating the discriminatory Article 370 in 2019, Amit Shah ensured, in one decisive move, that Valmikis were brought into the mainstream. Ambedkar dedicated his entire life to the welfare of Dalits, while ironically, the Congress spent decades institutionalising discrimination and divisiveness against them. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi or any Congressman has no locus standi whatsoever, to appropriate Babasaheb’s towering legacy.

It should also be noted that the Congress is rattled after being routed in the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra. Furthermore, the BJP made history by returning to power in Haryana for the third consecutive term in 2024. Needless to add that apart from the “Modi Tsunami", it was Amit Shah’s strategic genius and his discerning eye for detail that played a pivotal role in the BJP’s success at the hustings. Clearly, unable to defeat Shah electorally, the Opposition chose to disrupt Parliament with the so-called “Ambedkar controversy" to divert attention from its own dismal failures.

If anything, it is the Congress that has a lot of explaining to do. A letter from Pandit Nehru has recently been making the rounds on social media, branding Ambedkar as a “traitor, collaborating with the British". This letter, dated 26th January 1946, was addressed to Amrit Kaur (purportedly Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the first Health Minister of independent India). There can be no greater insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution, and to the entire Dalit community, than the fact that Nehru did not even have the decency to attend the Dalit icon’s funeral in 1956.

The Congress’s deep-rooted disdain for Ambedkar is both troubling and unacceptable. Despite its best efforts to discredit Amit Shah, the Congress failed miserably, as the public can now see through the charades of charlatans like Rahul Gandhi and his left-leaning cabal.

If Rahul Gandhi or his grandmother truly cared for Dalits, why was the legacy of Dalit veteran Babu Jagjivan Ram erased by the Congress? If the Congress genuinely respected Ambedkar, why did Nehru block Babasaheb’s attempts to enter the Lok Sabha twice—in 1952 and 1954? If Sonia Gandhi really cared for the marginalised and OBCs, why was Sitaram Kesri unceremoniously ousted during the twilight of his career? If the Congress party truly upholds Babasaheb and his ideals, why is there not a single Dalit represented in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, chaired by the Gandhis? And why did the Congress fail to confer the Bharat Ratna on Babasaheb, despite ruling India for decades?

Nehru received the Bharat Ratna in 1955 while serving as Prime Minister, and his daughter Indira Gandhi was awarded it in 1971, during her tenure as Prime Minister. In stark contrast, Ambedkar was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna only in 1990—a full 34 years after his death—when VP Singh’s National Front government, supported by the BJP, was in power at the Centre.

Given the Congress’s abysmal track record, it should introspect rather than lecture the BJP on matters of Dalit empowerment. In fact, credit must go to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah for ensuring that the provisions of the SC/ST Atrocities Act remain intact. The granting of constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) through the 102nd Amendment became a reality only due to the conviction and determination of PM Modi.

Rahul Gandhi continues to harp on about a caste census to benefit OBCs and weaker sections. Why, then, did the Congress not release the findings of the caste census it conducted in 2011? What stopped it? While in power, the Congress neither worked for OBCs nor Dalits and systematically smothered Babasaheb’s legacy. Now that it is out of power, why is the Congress making a shallow pretence that it cares for the poor and the downtrodden?

Not only the current Modi government but even historically, Babasaheb’s rich legacy has consistently been upheld by the BJP. For instance, the Ambedkar Mahaparinirvana Sthal at 26, Alipur Road in Delhi was dedicated to the nation by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in December 2003. Constitution Day (Samvidhan Diwas), also known as “National Law Day", has been celebrated in India on 26th November every year since 2015 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution. Why did the Congress never celebrate this significant day?

Additionally, April 14, Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, is now a national holiday to honour his contributions and achievements—a gesture that was never implemented under Congress rule. For decades, Ambedkar House in Primrose Hill, northwest London, remained in a decrepit state. It was the BJP-led Maharashtra government that purchased it for over £3 million in 2015. Why did the Congress, despite being in power for decades at both the Centre and in Maharashtra, fail to act on this?

The truth is as clear as day: neither Nehru and Indira Gandhi nor Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have ever truly cared about Babasaheb or his ideals. In stark contrast, the Modi government has consistently upheld Ambedkar’s values and principles—not through hollow rhetoric, but through strong and resolute actions.

One of the greatest books ever written in Indian history is arguably Pakistan or the Partition of India: Indian Political What is What. In this seminal work, Ambedkar does not hold back in his criticism of Islam, the Muslim League, the Congress, and Nehru. Ambedkar never endorsed Muslim appeasement or vote-bank politics. Yet, Rahul Gandhi’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, took Muslim appeasement to embarrassing new heights by overturning the Supreme Court’s landmark Shah Bano judgement of 1985.

Ambedkar was strictly against the hijab, yet in Karnataka—where the Congress party is currently in power—it openly supports practices such as hijab, halala, and halaal. This stands in stark contrast to Babasaheb’s progressive vision, further exposing the Congress’s hypocrisy.

Having studied the Vedas, Ambedkar concluded that there is no evidence in them of any invasion of India by the Aryan race. He viewed the Rig Veda as embodying a “sense of unity and consciousness" that united different tribes to form an Indo-Aryan nation. Furthermore, Ambedkar had even advocated for making Sanskrit the official language of India.

Had he been alive today, Ambedkar would have been outraged by the anti-Sanskrit and anti-Hindi rhetoric of the DMK’s Dravidian establishment. Let us not forget that the DMK and the Congress are close allies. How can the Congress ally with the DMK and still lay claim to Babasaheb’s legacy?

If Babasaheb were alive today, he would undoubtedly have supported the Modi government’s transformative Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019, which aims to grant citizenship and dignity to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. This landmark legislation was brought to fruition thanks to the unrelenting determination of Amit Shah. Does Rahul Gandhi or anyone in the Opposition support the CAA? They do not. If they oppose it, on what grounds can they claim to uphold Ambedkar’s vision?

Honouring Ambedkar’s legacy, Prime Minister Modi dedicated the BHIM app to him in 2016. From the world-class Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi to the development of the five major landmarks associated with Babasaheb’s life into the “Panchteerth", the Modi government has ensured Ambedkar’s rightful place in the annals of history, along with the ideals he championed.

“I am shocked at the comments made about Babasaheb Ambedkar," the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, said last week while speaking at a function in the Park Street area, referring to Amit Shah. Mamata Banerjee’s hypocrisy, however, is legendary. To date, she has not condemned the horrific rapes of numerous Dalit women in Sandeshkhali, allegedly perpetrated by her former close confidante, Shahjahan Sheikh. Thousands of Matuas and Rajbongshis continue to live in deplorable conditions in Bengal due to the sheer apathy of the Mamata regime.

Had Babasaheb been alive, he would have been appalled at the atrocities against Dalit women in Sandeshkhali, under a Chief Minister who, ironically, is the only woman CM in India.

The Statue of Equality, also known as the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial, is a monument under construction dedicated to Ambedkar. This iconic bronze statue, standing 450 feet tall, including a 100-foot pedestal, will be located at the Indu Mills compound in Mumbai. It is a travesty that despite ruling India for well over five decades, the Congress party could not even build a fitting memorial to honour Babasaheb. The task of giving Ambedkar his long-overdue recognition is now being dutifully undertaken by Prime Minister Modi.

Let us not forget that between Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi, there are sprawling memorials covering a massive 115 acres. To cut to the chase, the unfortunate truth is that Rahul Gandhi, his father, grandmother, great-grandfather, and others repeatedly undermined the legacy of one of India’s greatest Dalit icons. The Modi government, on the other hand, has consistently reached out to backward classes and Dalits, making significant efforts to create a more equitable social balance through effective legislation.