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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (Dec 18) responded to the opposition criticising Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar.

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Shah took a swipe at the opposition during a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha as part of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

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Also read | Congress changed the Indian Constitution 77 times in 55 years, says Amit Shah in Parliament 

"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 (opposition) had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," Shah had said.

"Take his name 100 times more, but I want to say what are your sentiments about him," Shah added and pointed out that Ambedkar had to resign from the first Cabinet following his disagreement with the Jawaharlal Nehru government

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Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), severely criticised the home minister's remarks.

What did PM Modi say?

In a series of posts on X, Prime Minister Modi said that in Parliament, Amit Shah exposed the Congress' dark history of insulting Dr Ambedkar and ignoring the scheduled castes (SCs) and the scheduled tribes (STs). 

"They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth!" Modi said.

He added that the central government has worked tirelessly to fulfil the vision of Ambedkar over the last decade.

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"If the Congress and its rotten ecosystem think their malicious lies can hide their misdeeds of several years, especially their insult towards Dr Ambedkar, they are gravely mistaken!" the prime minister further said. 

He also mentioned the "list of the Congress' sins towards Ambedkar" which included getting him defeated in elections not once but twice; Pandit Nehru campaigning against him and making his loss a prestige issue; denying him (Ambedkar) a Bharat Ratna; and denying his portrait a place of pride in the Central Hall of Parliament.

"Congress can try as they want, but they can’t deny that the worst massacres against SC/ST communities have happened under their regimes. For years, they sat in power but did nothing substantive to empower the SC and ST communities," Modi said. 

Cong demands Amit Shah's resignation

Earlier in the day, opposition lawmakers in Parliament, including Lok Sabha's leader of opposition (LoP) and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, held a protest against Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.

Also watch | Priyanka Gandhi's 'Palestine' tote bag sparks debate in Parliament

Separately, the Congress demanded Shah's resignation from the post of the home minister. 

“We demand the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for insulting Ambedkar; he should apologise to the nation,” Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.

(With inputs from agencies)