Modi slams Congress for disrespecting Ambedkar
New Delhi, May 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the Congress for "disrespecting" Dalit icon Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and accused it of preventing the OBC Commission from getting a constitutional status in Parliament.
Interacting with the SC/ST, OBC, Minority and Slum Morchas of the Karnataka BJP through the 'Narendra Modi Mobile App', the Prime Minister said there was no place for Dalits in the hearts of the Congress and asked it to mention a single thing done by it for the betterment of the community.
"There is no place for Dalits in the heart of the Congress. This has been continuing for last many decades. Even the Congress has no respect for Ambedkar. They did everything to defeat him in the 1952 general elections and the bypoll to Bhandara parliamentary constituency in 1953," he said.
He said the Congress humiliated Ambedkar till they were in power. "They did not even confer the Bharat Ratna on him. It was only when Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji formed the government that Babasaheb was conferred the title", he said.
He stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was working on developing Panchteerth of Ambedkar. "Taking inspiration from all the great saints, today we are trying to fulfil Babasaheb's dream of a powerful and prosperous nation", Modi remarked.
Attacking the Congress for not letting the OBC Commission get a constitutional status in Parliament, he said they were only involved in vote bank politics and never cared about empowering the weaker sections.
"You will be surprised to know that during the Congress regime, OBC leaders used to demand a constitutional status to OBC Commission but they (Congress) never cared. They only remain involved in vote bank politics... To stop the OBC Commission getting constitutional status, they did not allow the Parliament to function," he said.
Noting that the BJP had the maximum number of MPs from the SC, ST, OBC and minority communities, the Prime Minister said that leaders of various morchas had a paramount role in connecting directly with people and furthering the party's reach. He urged them to further the reach of the party's initiatives among the weaker sections.
Invoking Ambedkar, social reformer Jyotiba Phule, Sant Kabir and Ravidas's contribution to fight social injustice, Modi said their efforts were inspirational and continued to show his government the way.
During the interaction, Modi also took questions from the BJP leaders and spoke at length about several welfare measures being undertaken to uplift them.
Highlighting several initiatives being undertaken by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Modi said that in 2015 the government strengthened the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and increased the offences listed in the Act from 22 to 47 to empower the weaker sections.
He said that "Stand up" and "Mudra Yojanas" were helping to make SC/ST, OBC and women financially empowered.
Mentioning several pro-poor schemes launched by his government, Modi spoke about how India was rapidly growing.
"Today India is the second largest steel manufacturer in the world, second largest mobile phone manufacturer and fourth largest automobile manufacturer," he said, adding that 99 cities are on the verge of becoming smart cities and 500 cities are having a positive impact of the AMRUT scheme.
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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
