The Untouchable

The ideological chasm between Ambedkar's vision and the Hindutva worldview remains irreconcilable

- Anand Teltumbde

UNION Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on the Constitution's 75th anniversary, remarked, “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...If they took God’s name so many times, they would have secured heaven for seven births]. To trivialise the invocation of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’s name—central to the discourse on the Constitution and justice—is a disservice not only to Ambedkar’s legacy but also to the people of India who revere him.

Such a remark reveals a deeper contempt and disdain for Ambedkar’s pivotal role in shaping modern India. Shah’s claim that his statement was distorted by the Congress—a frequent scapegoat for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s missteps—rings hollow. Similarly, his counter-accusation branding the Congress as “anti-Ambedkar, anti-Constitution, and anti-reservation” is unconvincing and reeks of political deflection. Nothing can adequately explain why a seasoned strategist like Shah would risk alienating India’s 225 million Dalits, who regard Ambedkar as their foremost icon.