AAP protests near BJP office over Shah’s remark on Ambedkar, demands action against minister

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday led a protest near the BJP headquarters here over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark on B R Ambedkar, saying it hurt the sentiments of crores of Dalits and demanding “strict action” against him.

Kejriwal said AAP will go door to door in Delhi ahead of the assembly polls due in February to tell the people about the “insult” of Ambedkar by the BJP leader.

“The way Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended Shah, it appears that what he said in Parliament was a ‘pre-meditated conspiracy’ of the BJP,” he charged.

Shah’s statement has caused a “grave insult” to Ambedkar. “He made fun of Ambedkar in a way,” Kejriwal claimed.

He added that Shah’s remark has hurt the sentiments of crores of Dalits, backward and poor people in the country.

The Union minister’s remark also hurt the crores of followers of Ambedkar like him, the former Delhi chief minister said.

“Strict action should be taken against Shah so that the anger of the people subsides even though it will not go away completely,” he said, addressing the protesters.

The leadership of the BJP has now made it clear that it is against Ambedkar, Kejriwal alleged. “It is now the time for BJP supporters to decide whether they were with the party or with Ambedkar,” he added.

Senior AAP leaders such as Chief Minister Atishi, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also present in the protest.

AAP volunteers and leaders tried to march towards the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg but were stopped by police personnel deployed heavily on the barricaded road.

Shah has come under fire from the opposition parties over his remark on Ambedkar in the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday.

“Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai – Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar’. If they had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven),” Shah had said.