On the call of Left parties, protest demonstrations were organised across the country against the derogatory and insulting remarks made by Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr. BR Ambedkar and his legacy. The protest call was given jointly by Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party, and All India Forward Bloc.
Delhi
A protest was organised at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Speaking at the protest, CPIML Central Committee Member Sucheta De called for the resignation of Amit Shah and an apology from Prime Minister Modi. She added, “Amit Shah’s remarks reflect that the Sangh-BJP brigade has nothing but contempt for Ambedkar and his legacy. Ambedkar’s vision of India was based on securing justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all its citizens, whereas the BJP seeks to impose a majoritarian Hindutva idea of India. Ambedkar called for the annihilation of caste and burned Manusmriti, but the BJP and the Sangh brigade want to replace India’s Constitution with Manusmriti. This is why Amit Shah and the BJP are afraid of Ambedkar.”
Bihar
In Patna, Bihar, a protest by CPIML, CPI, CPM, AIFB, and RSP began at GPO Roundabout, demanding Amit Shah’s resignation and culminated in a public meeting near Buddha Smriti Park.
Addressing the gathering, CPI(ML) MLA Mahboob Alam stated that Amit Shah’s remarks reflect the BJP and RSS's deep-seated hatred for the Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar. “Their desperation to replace the Constitution with Manusmriti is evident. However, the people of India will continue to resist every attack on the Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar’s legacy,” he said. Comrade Mahboob emphasised that the BJP’s attempts to impose Manusmriti on the nation will be exposed and defeated by the people.
Protests were also held in Ara, Darbhanga, Siwan, Muzaffarpur, and Bettiah, among other places in Bihar.
Uttar Pradesh
The joint Left parties’ protest call was observed in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya by organising a protest demonstration at the District Headquarters Tehsil Sadar.
Addressing the protest, Ram Bharos, state committee member of CPI(ML), condemned Amit Shah’s remarks against Ambedkar and demanded the resignation of the Home Minister.
“We will continue to challenge any attempt to undermine the Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar’s vision. The darkness of Hindu Rashtra, which Ambedkar warned of, will never be allowed to triumph over Ambedkar’s legacy and constitutional ethos,” he asserted.
The event concluded with the submission of a memorandum addressed to the President through the District Magistrate, demanding Amit Shah’s resignation and condemning his disrespectful remarks about Dr. Ambedkar.
Karnataka
The countrywide protest was observed across Karnataka with joint Left demonstrations being held in Peenya and Anandapuram in Bangalore, Gangavathi in Koppal, and Kottur in Vijayanagar district.
Addressing the protest in Bangalore, Comrade Ashok, AICCTU district secretary, said that Amit Shah’s remarks show that the BJP-Sangh brigade is feeling afraid as people are asserting Ambedkar and his legacy amid BJP’s Manuvadi-Hindutva fascist onslaught on the Constitution. The Sangh brigade has always wanted India to become a Hindu Rashtra with Manusmriti as India’s Constitution.
“We, the people of India, will carry forward Ambedkar’s legacy and ensure that the Constitution and its ethos are protected,” added Ashok while calling for Amit Shah’s resignation.
West Bengal
Left parties organised area-level protest demonstrations in Burdwan and Konnagar (Hooghly) against Amit Shah’s anti-Ambedkar remarks. In Burdwan, Kunal Bakshi, CPIML district committee member, demanding a public apology from Prime Minister Modi and also Amit Shah’s resignation, noted that Amit Shah not only expressed the BJP's deep discomfort over Ambedkar and the Constitution being repeatedly invoked by the people, but he also revealed the Sangh's Manuvadi mindset and agenda. Ambedkar firmly stood for a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic with the resolve to secure justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all its citizens, and this is what Modi-Shah and the BJP are afraid of.
AIARLA organised a protest in Sanchitara, Hooghly, against Amit Shah, calling for his resignation.
Uttarakhand
In Dehradun, leaders of Left parties gathered at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Park, where a meeting was held, and a memorandum was submitted to the President via the District Magistrate.
The memorandum, signed by CPI(ML) state secretary Indresh Maikhuri, CPI state secretary Jagdish Kuliyal, CPM state secretary Rajendra Purohit, journalist-activist Trilochan Bhatt, and others, demanded Amit Shah’s resignation. It condemned his statement that taking Ambedkar’s name had become “fashionable,” calling it disrespectful to the architect of the Constitution. The memorandum further noted that the BJP-led government is attempting to systematically attack the constitutional values and attempting to impose Manusmriti in place of the Constitution.
In Tamil Nadu, a protest call against Amit Shah was organised in Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Dindigul, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Chengalpattu, Trichy, Erode, and Tirunelveli. Demonstrations were also held in Vijayawada, Eluru, and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. In Rajasthan, a protest was organised in Jhunjhunu, where several Left-wing and democratic organisations came together demanding Amit Shah’s resignation. In Odisha, a protest was held in Gunupur in Rayagada district condemning Amit Shah’s derogatory remarks against Ambedkar. The protest resolved to carry forward the legacy of Ambedkar and defend the Constitution and its ethos. In Jharkhand, protest rallies were held in Ranchi, Garhwa, Dhanbad, and Gawan.
