Congress "shameless" party, using Ambedkar for "political gains": Himanta

It will not be an exaggeration if they are termed as shameless, Sarma told reporters here.He said that the Congress rolled out Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana, launched many schemes in the name of Rajiv Gandhi and named many big universities in the country after Jawaharlal Nehru....but have you dedicated even one scheme in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday termed the Congress a ''shameless'' party, which is using Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's name for ''political gains'' only.

He claimed that Congress had launched innumerable schemes and established many institutions in the name of leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru's family, but there was no such establishment after Ambedkar.

''Congress does not have any shame. The party which imposed emergency, suspended the Constitution, killed democracy, that Congress is doing processions in the name of the Constitution, and it shows that they don't have any shame. It will not be an exaggeration if they are termed as shameless,'' Sarma told reporters here.

He said that the Congress rolled out Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana, launched many schemes in the name of Rajiv Gandhi and named many big universities in the country after Jawaharlal Nehru.

''...but have you dedicated even one scheme in the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar? Forget university, but have you even named a school after him? ''Can anyone tell me if there was a photograph of Ambedkar in any Rajiv Bhawan before yesterday? I was in Congress for 22 years and never saw a picture of him in Rajiv Bhawan,'' Sarma said after visiting BJP headquarters to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He said that Ambedkar's Jayanti was celebrated at AICC on Tuesday but wondered since when did Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi started garlanding the statue or portrait of Ambedkar.

''When Ambedkar resigned from the ministry, it was told that the country would not suffer. You gave Bharat Ratna to everyone in the world, but not to Ambedkar.

''Today to avail political advantage, Ambedkar's memory, ideology, sacrifice have been made a weapon for political gains only. This is such a notorious and shameful act that has never taken place in India,'' the CM said.

He asked when did Rahul Gandhi visit the statue of Ambedkar or did ever Indira Gandhi visit the same? ''Did they ever tell the nation what role Ambedkar played in drafting the Constitution? Don't you (Congress) have any shame today? If you had little shame, you would not have held Ambedkar's picture,'' Sarma said.

He advised the Congress party that they will ''do well in drama and nautanki'' if anyone gives them a role.

''Your job will be in the Mumbai film industry for doing drama, but you will never be in the minds and hearts of the people. The people know very well how you ignored Ambedkar for 75 years,'' he added.

When asked about infiltration of Bangladeshis in the state after political turmoil started in the neighbouring nation, the CM said it is a matter of concern for all Northeastern states, especially those sharing borders with the country.

''The sad part is that with the downsliding of Bangladesh's economy and closure of its textile industry, the influx of Bangladeshis has increased unprecedentedly. Tripura CM recently said 1,500 Bangladeshis were detained, while BSF and our state police are also capturing them.

''I feel that we need to be cautious in Assam because we are apprehending 20-25 Bangladeshis everyday and we don't have any idea how many have already entered without being caught,'' he added.

Sarma further said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked the NE states, especially the border states, to be vigilant after all the CMs mentioned about the issue during the recently held Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Agartala.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)