Cong raps BJP govt for asking X to delete Shah’s controversial speech's video
The Congress on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked microblogging platform ‘X’ to delete the video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's controversial speech, which was delivered in the Rajya Sabha, in which he allegedly referred to Dr BR Ambedkar disrespectfully.
The party reiterated that Shah had committed an unforgivable crime for which he must apologise to the nation and resign.
Addressing a press conference here today, Congress spokesperson and chairperson of social media and digital platforms Supriya Shrinate said many Congress party leaders, MPs and the party’s official handle had received an email from the ‘X’, which said that the Government of India had asked it to delete Shah’s speech.
However, she added that the ‘X’ had refused to delete it in the spirit of freedom of speech. She asked, “If Shah thinks there was nothing wrong with his speech, why has his ministry asked the ‘X’ to delete it?”
Shrinate said the footage that was posted was not edited or distorted. She also showed the 34-page unedited text of his speech available on the Rajya Sabha website where Shah says, “It has become a fashion to mention the name of Dr Ambedkar and if they (the Opposition leaders) take the name of God those many times, they will get to heaven for seven births.”
Shrinate also condemned the BJP and its ‘X’ handlers for distorting a picture of Congress leaders carrying the photographs of Dr Ambedkar while protesting against Shah. She alleged that on the BJP ‘X’ handle, Dr Ambedkar’s picture has been replaced with that of George Soros, whom the BJP calls anti-national.
Reiterating the Congress party’s demand that Shah must apologise to the nation and tender his resignation, Shrinate said, the Congress party will not be intimidated or cowed down by the arm twisting tactics by the BJP.
She added, “The BJP leaders like Amit Shah are displaying the same disregard and hatred towards Dr Ambedkar that their forefathers and the RSS have always had.”
