Fri Dec 20 20:39:05 UTC 2024: ## Parliament in Uproar: BJP and Opposition Clash Over Ambedkar Remarks

**New Delhi:** The Indian Parliament witnessed chaotic scenes today as the ruling BJP and the opposition parties engaged in a heated confrontation over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial remarks on B.R. Ambedkar. The Congress, leading the opposition charge, demanded Shah’s resignation, accusing him of disrespecting the Dalit icon. BJP countered by alleging the Congress has a history of insulting Ambedkar and demanded an apology.

The protests saw Congress MPs, including the Gandhi siblings, marching with Ambedkar’s photographs, chanting “Jai Bheem” and demanding Shah’s apology. The BJP staged a separate march, also carrying Ambedkar’s images. The two demonstrations converged at the Parliament’s Makar Dwar, resulting in a shouting match between MPs.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress of consistently insulting Ambedkar, highlighting the party’s alleged failure to bestow the Bharat Ratna upon him earlier. He linked the current protests to the Congress’s discomfort with the Prime Minister’s initiative to discuss the Constitution in Parliament.

Adding fuel to the fire, BJP social media accounts circulated a morphed image of opposition MPs protesting with Ambedkar’s picture, replacing his face with that of George Soros, furthering the party’s allegations of Congress collusion with the billionaire to destabilize India. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly condemned the image manipulation as reflective of the BJP’s mindset.

The situation escalated further when BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi was injured, allegedly pushed by Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi denied the accusations, claiming he was himself pushed by BJP MPs while attempting to enter Parliament. He also alleged that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was also pushed. The BJP strongly condemned the incident. The injured MP was taken to hospital. The incident adds another layer of complexity to an already tense political climate.

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