Trinamul Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien submitted a privilege notice against Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday over his remarks on B.R. Ambedkar, PTI reported, citing unnamed sources. Shah faced backlash from the Opposition for his speech, which led to the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament amid protests.
The Congress-led Opposition INDIA coalition demanded Shah’s resignation, accusing him of insulting Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Protesting with posters of Ambedkar, they condemned Shah’s remarks.
“There is a fashion,” Shah said in Hindi during his speech on Tuesday. “A fashion to repeatedly say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar… If they took God’s name that much, they might secure heaven for seven lifetimes.”
Derek O’Brien submitted the notice shortly after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized Shah’s comments.
“This reveals the BJP’s CASTEIST and ANTI-DALIT mentality,” Mamata alleged. “If they behave like this with 240 seats, imagine the damage if they had achieved their dream of 400 seats. They would rewrite history to erase Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions.”
Mamata called Shah’s remarks an insult to Ambedkar and his followers. “Babasaheb Ambedkar is the Father of the Constitution. This outrageous comment attacks not just him but the entire Drafting Committee, which reflected India’s diversity,” she said.
Trinamul claimed Shah’s remarks were intentional. “As Parliament marks 75 years of the Constitution, Amit Shah dared to insult Babasaheb Ambedkar in his Rajya Sabha speech,” the party posted on X.
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanded an apology from Shah. “Babasaheb is the architect of the Constitution. His insult will not be tolerated,” Gandhi posted on Facebook in Hindi, alongside images of Opposition protests in Parliament.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticized Shah, sharing protest photos on X. “Taking Ambedkar’s name is a symbol of human dignity and self-respect for millions of Dalits and marginalized people,” she wrote in Hindi.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray accused Shah of arrogance and called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action. “Shah’s comments reflect the BJP’s true face,” Thackeray said, claiming the remarks would not have been made without BJP and RSS backing.
Thackeray alleged the BJP has a history of disrespecting Maharashtra’s icons, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr. Ambedkar. He also questioned whether BJP allies like the Telugu Desam Party, JD(U), Ramdas Athawale’s RPI, and Shiv Sena agree with Shah’s comments.