Following massive protest from the Opposition, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on the Congress during a press conference in Delhi, accusing the opposition party of distorting remarks made in Parliament and adopting an anti-Ambedkar stance.

Reacting to the row over remarks he made in Rajya Sabha during the Constitution debate, Amit Shah said that his statements were misrepresented. He added that Congress spreads fake news, and that he can never speak against Ambedkar. He noted that the way Congress has distorted comments made in Parliament is extremely condemnable.

This follows after a row erupted over the remarks Amit Shah made in Parliament on Tuesday. The Home Minister said that it has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. He continued that if the Congress had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven.

This led to a sharp reaction from the Opposition MPs, who staged a protest inside Parliament premises today. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a press conference and demanded the sacking of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Congress Chief said that their demand is that Amit Shah should apologise and if PM Modi has faith in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Home Minister should be sacked by midnight. The Congress leader added that Shah has no right to remain in the cabinet. He should be sacked and only then will people remain silent, otherwise, people will protest, Mallikarjun Kharge continued. People are ready to sacrifice their lives for Dr BR Ambedkar, he said.

Meanwhile, Amit Shah hit back at the Congress and accused the party of being anti-Ambedkar, anti-reservation, and anti-Constitution. Emphasizing on the BJP’s efforts to honour Dr. BR Ambedkar, Amit Shah said that the Congress governments never built an Ambedkar memorial. It was the BJP governments that developed several sites associated with him, and it was also the Modi government that announced Constitution Day to honor his legacy, the Home Minister continued.

He further alleged that the Congress had a history of undermining constitutional values. He remarked that BJP speakers in Parliament presented facts showing how the BJP has always protected the Constitution whenever it was in power. This proves that Congress is anti-Ambedkar, anti-reservation, and anti-Constitution, he claimed. Amit Shah further asserted that Congress even insulted Veer Savarkar and attacked the Constitution by imposing Emergency.

Derek O’Brien Trinamool Congress MP has filed a notice of question of privilege against Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the remarks he made on BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Trinamool MP said that the remarks undermined the legacy of Dr BR Ambedkar and the dignity of the House. Derek O’Brien has also sought action against Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging the statements were in violation of parliamentary decorum.

The decision followed after several Opposition MPs staged protests against Amit Shah over his remarks on BR Ambedkar during his address to the Rajya Sabha during debate on the Constitution. The Congress also sought the Home Minister’s resignation and an apology from him.

The Opposition MPs also held photos of BR Ambedkar and raised Jai Bhim and Amit Shah maafi maango slogans inside the Parliament complex. Furthermore, the issue also echoed in other states as Congress leaders held demonstrations with placards outside Raj Bhavans.

The political row erupted after Home Minister Amit Shah, replying to the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha, said it had become a fashion for the Opposition to take Ambedkar’s name.

The Home Minister said that it has become a fashion to say Ambedkar. He added that if the Opposition had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven.

The Home Minister’s remark evoked a sharp backlash from the Congress, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader tweeted that those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely have problems with Ambedkar.

Also, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge issued a scathing response, accusing the BJP and RSS of undermining Ambedkar’s contributions. He said that the insult that Home Minister Amit Shah has done to Baba Saheb in the House today has once again proved that BJP/ RSS were against the Tricolour, opposed the Ashoka Chakra, and wanted to implement Manusmriti instead of the Constitution. Babasaheb did not let that happen, that is why there is so much hatred towards him, Mallikarjun Kharge said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress and its rotten ecosystem of insulting BR Ambedkar for several years as he listed the party’s several sins towards the architect of the Indian Constitution.

The Prime Minister defended Amit Shah’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha during the Constitution debate, and said that the Congress was doing theatrics after being stung and stunned by the Home Minister’s address. He stated that Amit Shah exposed the Congress’s dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar, and that the Congress are clearly stung and stunned by the facts Home Minister presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics.

Former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a new health scheme for senior citizens in Delhi ahead of the upcoming assembly election in February.

The AAP Chief announced that elderly citizens over 60 years of age will receive treatment free of cost in both government and private hospitals under the new scheme called Sanjeevani Yojana.  He said that there will be no upper limit on the cost of treatment. He mentioned that registration for the scheme will start in a day or two, and the AAP workers will come to people’s homes for registration, who will give the residents a card. He added that once AAP comes into power after the elections, the policy will be implemented.

His announcement comes after the face-off between the opposition BJP and the ruling AAP over non-implementation of the Centre’s Ayushmaan Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Nearly seven BJP MPs moved the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Delhi government to implement the scheme.

Reportedly, the petitioners Harsh Malhotra, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Praveen Khandelwal, Yogendra Chandolia, Manoj Tiwari, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj argued that citizens in the capital were facing high out-of-pocket medical expenses due to the non-implementation of the scheme.

Later on November 27, the Delhi High Court sought the Delhi government’s stance on implementing the scheme and said that steps must be taken to iron out the differences within the Delhi administration.

After the high court’s remarks, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi directed the health department to formulate a mechanism to incorporate the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme without withdrawing the benefits of the Delhi government’s free healthcare facilities for the people.

She said that the exclusions under Ayushman Bharat do not align with this system, and that the government does not want to take away free medical care from anyone. Hence, directions have been issued to the Health Department to devise a mechanism that ensures no one in Delhi is deprived of the free healthcare services they currently receive while also incorporating the benefits of Ayushman Bharat, she continued.