Maharashtra assembly winter session: Opposition walks out of legislative council over Amit Shah's Ambedkar remarks

Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur

Opposition members walked out of the Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday after not being allowed to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B R Ambedkar, reported news agency PTI.

The matter also figured in the state assembly where Congress leader Nitin Raut said they will not tolerate "insult" of Ambedkar whom they revere as God.

Notably, the Congress has alleged that Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday during a debate on the Constitution show the BJP and the RSS leaders have a "lot of hatred" for Ambedkar and demanded an apology from him, reported PTI.

When the Maharashtra legislative council proceedings began on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve raised the point of information to discuss Shah's comments on Ambedkar.

However, members of the ruling parties objected to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Danve's move.

Deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe said the happenings in Parliament cannot be discussed in the state council and added that they (opposition members) were doing politics on the matter, reported PTI.

Members of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) gathered near the well of the House.

They raised slogans demanding a discussion over Shah's comments and then staged a walkout.

In the legislative assembly, Congress leader Nitin Raut criticised the purported remarks made in the Rajya Sabha, reported PTI.

"We will not tolerate insult of Ambedkar who is like God to us," he said.

State minister Ashish Shelar (BJP) objected to Raut and demanded that the Congress leader's comments be expunged, reported PTI.

"How can one discuss proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in the assembly?" Shelar asked.

Shah attacked the Congress in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, saying the party treated the Constitution as the "private fiefdom" of one family and "played fraud" with Parliament.

Concluding a two-day debate on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India", Shah had ripped into the Congress for its appeasement politics and claimed the party wanted to breach the 50 per cent quota limit to provide reservation to Muslims.

(With inputs from PTI)