Gurugram: Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday hit back at criticism over his remarks on B.R.Ambedkar’s role in making of the Constitution and asserted that he did not say anything controversial.
Khattar, visiting the family of a Dalit IPS officer who died by suicide in Chandigarh earlier this month, said he “didn’t say anything wrong” but “Opposition parties have a habit of finding faults”.
“Baba Sahib Ambedkar is a highly respected mahapurush… Without him, there could have been no Constitution. But rumours were spread as if this credit was denied to him… The maker of the Constitution was Dr Ambedkar only, and if someone tried to twist my statement, the people of this country won’t tolerate it,” the Union minister told journalists after meeting IAS officer Amneet Kumar to condole the death of her husband, Inspector General (IG) Y. Puran Kumar.
The controversy erupted after a video of Khattar was circulated widely on social media from Wednesday. In the clip, Khattar can be heard saying in Hindi, “The Constitution was not written by any one person. There was a committee… Dr Ambedkar was the chairman of the committee.”
He goes on to say that a country is run by a government, but credit goes to its head, or the Prime Minister.
“The Army fights as a whole, but the credit goes to the chief. Similarly, it was the entire team that worked, though the credit goes to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar…” the Union minister says. The video was purportedly shot on 17 October when Khattar, who is the Union minister of housing and urban affairs, took a Metro train ride from Delhi to Faridabad.
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‘Khattar remarks shameful’
Congress leaders hit out at Khattar over the remarks, alleging that BJP neither respected Ambedkar nor his followers.
“Manohar Lal Khattar is a very senior leader of the BJP and has a responsible post of a Union Cabinet minister. Such a statement coming from a person of his stature reflects the BJP’s mindset,” Varun Chaudhry, Congress MP from Ambala (SC), told ThePrint on Thursday.
Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Rao Narendra Singh sought a public apology, and said Khattar’s remarks were “shameful” and unfortunate.
“It is not only an insult to the contribution of the architect of the Constitution, Dr Ambedkar, but also deeply hurts the sentiments of Dalits, backward classes and marginalised communities across the country and the state. Dr Ambedkar not only gave India its Constitution, but also laid the foundation of equality, justice and rights,” Singh said in a written statement.
He added that such questions were akin to an attack on the soul of the Constitution and democracy.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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