Nehru 'ill-treated' Ambedkar; SC/ST communities should be informed: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 24 (PTI): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday claimed that it was India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who "insulted" B R Ambedkar and even joined hands with the Left parties to defeat him in elections.
His remarks come in the wake of Congress' continuous accusations against the BJP of "disrespecting" Constitutional principles and "insulting" Ambedkar.
Joshi, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Food, and Consumer Affairs, urged local BJP workers to visit every street, with a special focus on the SC/ST communities, to inform them about the alleged ill-treatment of Ambedkar by Nehru.
Speaking at the Constitution Pride Day event in Thiruvananthapuram, a programme the BJP is organising nationwide to mark the 75th year of the Constitution, the Union Minister claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru never wanted Ambedkar in the government, and it was only due to the insistence of Mahatma Gandhi that he was included.
Joshi also claimed that Congress undermined the Constitution by declaring the Emergency during Indira Gandhi's rule and making several amendments that went against its spirit.
"The Congress in the country was always against the welfare of SC/ST communities in the country," he contended.
He urged BJP workers to go beyond conducting Constitution Pride Day seminars in big hotels and take to the streets to inform people about the alleged injustice Ambedkar faced at the hands of Nehru.
BJP state president K Surendran accused Kerala of being the only state in the country attempting to undermine the Constitution.
"The state consistently passes legislation opposing central laws and rejects every law enacted by Parliament. The Constitution does not grant such powers to the states," Surendran claimed.
He further alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government misuses powers not conferred by the Constitution and seeks to obstruct investigations conducted by national agencies.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
