Dalit groups across India have called for a nationwide protest on December 28 in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial remarks on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar during a debate in Parliament commemorating 75 years of the Constitution’s adoption.
The protest, spearheaded by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDOR), has gained support from leaders like Nitin Raut, Rajendra Pal Gautam, and Jignesh Mevani. Mobilization for the event has already begun, with states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra leading the way.
Amit Shah, while speaking in Parliament, stated, “Yeh fashion ho gaya hai, Ambedkar, Ambedkar… itna naam agar Bhagwan ka lete toh saat janmo tak swarg mil jata” (It has become a fashion… Ambedkar, Ambedkar… if God’s name was taken this often, it would grant heaven for seven lifetimes). Dalit groups have denounced this statement as an insult to Dr. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
Protesters are demanding a public apology from the Home Minister, both in public and on the floor of the House. NACDOR President Ashok Bharti said, “Dr. Ambedkar is not a fashion; he is the nation. Whoever insults the nation is a rashtradrohi (traitor), and traitors have no right to run the country.”
The protests will culminate in gatherings at block, district, town, and city levels, uniting Dalit groups, OBC communities, and like-minded political parties.
Ashok Bharti said that NACDOR has reached out to various sections of society to support the protests, and there’s a need to restore the sanctity of the Constitution and its makers. Bharti criticized Shah, saying, “When Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue was damaged, the Prime Minister apologized. Why can’t the Home Minister apologize for insulting Ambedkar? Is his stature larger than the PM’s?”
