Shah's remarks on Ambedkar reflect BJP's arrogance; PM should act against him: Uddhav

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on social reformer Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar show the BJP's "arrogance" and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take action against him.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, the former CM accused the BJP of insulting icons and revered figures of Maharashtra, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Dr Ambedkar.

He claimed Shah would not have dared to make remarks about the chief architect of the Constitution without the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

"Amit Shah's remarks on Dr Ambedkar show the party's (BJP's) arrogance and have exposed its true face," Uddhav Thackeray maintained.

"Prime Minister Modi should act against Amit Shah for his remarks on Dr Ambedkar and he should quit if he is not able to do so," the former chief minister said.

Uddhav Thackeray alleged the BJP was trying to erase Dr Ambedkar's name from the country, but that cannot happen and the national party itself will perish in its attempts to do so.

He asked whether the Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (United), Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India (A) and Shiv Sena - all allies of the BJP - agree with Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) president sought to know if Athawale will quit as a Union minister as a mark of protest against the senior BJP leader's comments made in Parliament on Tuesday.

"Even the RSS should clarify whether it has spoken like this through Amit Shah," he said.

BJP's Hindutva is "deceptive" and driven by "divide and rule" policy, Uddhav Thackeray claimed, hitting out at his former ally.

"They are only involved in 'satta jihad' (power jihad). They want to finish Maharashtra. They want to show no one existed before the BJP came to power. They have mustered so much courage that they attacked (Jawaharlal) Nehru until now but have started talking about Ambedkar," he said.

Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray posted a video of Shah's speech in Parliament, saying this is a glimpse of hatred the BJP harbours for the renowned social reformer-jurist.

"So much hatred for a person who gave justice, respect to crores of people. They want to erase Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's name from the country. Yes, Dr Amebdkar is God (for the people of the country)," the former state minister said on social media platform X.

In the evening, a group of Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators led by Aaditya Thackeray marched to Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with thousands of his followers in 1956, as a mark of protest against Shah's remarks.

"We are protesting against the insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar by the Union Home Minister. The country will not tolerate this insult," Aaditya Thackeray asserted while talking to reporters.

Maharashtra's MLAs and MLCs are in Nagpur, the state's second capital, to attend the ongoing winter session of the legislature.