‘Plot to defeat him was hatched by Dange, Savarkar’: Mallikarjun Kharge cites Dr BR Ambedkar letter after PM’s “votebank ka virus” remarks

NEW DELHI: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks of Congress of using the Constitution as a weapon for its vote bank and cited a letter in which Dr BR Ambedkar blamed communist leader SA Dange and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar for his defeat in the elections in 1952.

“They (BJP) say that we have insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar. Which party had made Babasaheb Ambedkar a member of the Constituent Assembly and Chairman of the Drafting Committee? Babasaheb, in his letter, had said that the plot to defeat him was hatched by Dange and Savarkar,” Kharge said.

Congress party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge, while addressing a press conference in the national capital, highlighted how B R Ambedkar faced opposition for adopting Buddhism by Hindu organisations.

“These people were enemies of Babasaheb then and even now. Even when he was alive, they did not support him. When Baba Saheb adopted Buddhism, do you know what these people said? They said that he is from the Mahar community, an untouchable. They also said that now Buddha has been made an untouchable. Baba Saheb’s political party was the Republican Party, and Hindu Mahasabha was against him,” Kharge said.

The Congress president’s remarks come after PM Modi earlier today accused the Congress of destroying the Constitution and insulting Ambedkar while visiting Haryana to flag off the first direct commercial flight from Hisar to Ayodhya.

Kharge turned the accusations of the Prime Minister around and highlighted how during the passing of the women’s reservation bill, Congress had asked for reservations for SC, ST, and OBC women specifically too.

“When the women’s reservation bill was passed 2 years ago, the Congress party demanded that it be implemented immediately. Our demand was that SC, ST and OBC should be given reservations in it. This is our objective. We have been fighting for this for a long time. It was decided in the Ahmedabad convention to launch a campaign to take it forward,” he said.

Questioning PM Modi’s earlier claim that Babsaheb’s ideology has been a ‘pillar of inspiration’ for the current central government, Kharge hit back and asked, “They (BJP) only speak against Congress, Nehru, against me and all that we have done until now. But I ask what they have done till now and which of Baba Saheb’s principles have they adopted? Which principles have they adopted? They are not ready to say.”

Earlier today, PM Modi had said in Hisar, Haryana, that Congress is opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Act for only votebank politics, saying,

“Congress has become the destroyer of Constitutions. Dr BR Ambedkar wanted to bring in equality, but Congress spread the virus of vote bank politics. Babasaheb wanted every poor, every backward to be able to live with dignity and with their head held high, to have dreams and complete them.”

Backing the recently passed Waqf Amendment Act, PM Modi assured that the land of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBC) will not be encroached upon by Waqf anymore.

“The loot of the poor will stop with this amended Waqf law. Under the new Waqf law, land or property belonging to any Adivasi cannot be touched by the Waqf Board…Poor Muslims and Pasmanda Muslims will get their rights. This is real social justice.”

The Prime Minister also recalled how historically Congress opposed the election of Babasaheb.

“We should not forget what Congress did to Babasaheb. Congress humiliated him while he was alive. They made him lose elections twice. Congress even tried to erase his memory. Congress also tried to destroy Baba Saheb’s ideas forever. Dr Ambedkar was the protector of the Constitution, but Congress has become the destroyer of the Constitution,” he said. (ANI)