Congress steps up campaign over Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr. Ambedkar

The Congress aims at reviving the political narrative that the BJP is out to end reservations in government jobs and educational institutions with Dr. Ambedkar being the frontispiece of this campaign

Stepping up its campaign against Home Minister Amit Shah for his comment that it has become a “fashion” to take Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s name, the Congress on Saturday (December 21, 2024) announced a plan to hold countrywide press conferences and Ambedkar samman (respect) marches in the next few days.

“We will fight to protect Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy against the Manusmriti worshippers! INC will mark the upcoming week as Dr. Ambedkar Samman Saptah,” party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal announced in a post on X.

Congress Members of Parliament, members of the party’s working committee, and senior party leaders will hold 150 press conferences in their constituencies and home districts on Sunday and Monday.

“On 24 December, all across the country, we will hold Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman Marches and submit a memorandum to President of India through District Collectors demanding Amit Shah’s resignation,” Mr. Venugopal added.

The speed with which the party has reacted to Mr. Shah’s remarks is unusual, but it is clearly aimed at reviving the political narrative that the BJP is out to end reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.

This narrative, combined with the BJP’s call for 400 paar (beyond 400 seats), proved to be a potent weapon during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But it seemed to have run its course, as was evident during the recent Assembly elections, where the BJP scored impressive victories.

So, Mr. Shah’s comment was the opening the Congress was looking for in order to revive its BJP-will-end reservations narrative. The text may have been Dr. Ambedkar but the subtext is reservation.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said Mr. Shah’s comment reflected the “anti-reservation mindset”.

“They [BJP] were always saying that they would change the Constitution. They are against the Constitution, against Ambedkarji, his ideology. Their entire focus is to finish Ambedkarji’s contribution,” Mr. Gandhi had said on Wednesday.

In a less than 24 hours since Mr. Shah made the remark in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Congress MPs carrying photos and portraits of Ambedkar were seeking an apology from him and demanding his resignation.

Revival of organisation

The principal Opposition party surely knew that the second most powerful Minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet will not resign over his off the cuff remark. But Mr. Venugopal sent out directives that on December 18 State units should gherao Raj Bhavans — a symbol of the Centre in a State — across the country over the alleged insult to the architect of the Constitution.

After the successive losses in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, the morale of the cadre has hit a low and the losses have also put a pause to the perception that the Congress is on a revival path.

Against this backdrop, the party would draw some satisfaction that it compelled the Home Minister to clarify his comment through a press conference by the evening. “No matter what Amit Shah does, those 12 seconds will haunt him,” Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said on Friday.

Bring allies together

Importantly, the protests and the face-off with NDA MPs in Parliament over the alleged insult to Ambedkar and, subsequently, BJP MPs getting a first information report registered against Mr. Gandhi for allegedly pushing two of their colleagues allowed members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance to join ranks with the Congress.

The Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the National Conference were among allies who defended Mr. Gandhi. This would give the Congress some reprieves as not long ago, most of these constituents of the Opposition bloc were questioning the Congress’ claim to be the leader of the bloc.

Bait for NDA allies

Last, but perhaps the most important, calculation, is to make BJP allies uncomfortable. With Assembly election in Bihar scheduled next year, any narrative that seeks to question BJP’s “commitment” to reservation will hurt both the ruling party as well as its ally Janata Dal (United).

The Telugu Desam Party and the Shiv Sena also can hardly ignore the political implications, if the Opposition can carry its narrative on reservation the same way it did in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Published - December 21, 2024 05:38 pm IST