THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK-
The latest controversy over the reckless comment by Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah about one of the founding fathers of modern India, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, has two dimensions. The derisive remark by RSS member and BJP politician Amit Shah was more than a Freudian slip. It reflects the modus operandi of the BJP as a traditional ruling caste party of India, hell-bent on fooling voters and masses through the political tool of spin-doctoring. Consequently, a global protest culminated among supporters of healthy democracy and Ambedkarites worldwide, demanding an unconditional apology and resignation from the Indian Union Home Minister in line with Western liberal democratic practices. However, brazen as ever, the BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party)—aided by RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)-infested media—has once again been successful in diluting two critically important issues with one sly move by pushing the emotional buttons of dedicated Ambedkarite masses, opposition, and fellow stakeholders in Indian democracy.
Although opposition parties and global Ambedkarites ensured that their protests over the seemingly innocuous statement by Amit Shah comparing God to Ambedkar made an impact, there was much more at stake. A careful review of political mobilizations and programs in the two weeks preceding Amit Shah’s statement reveals two key events. First, a state-sponsored riot erupted in the Parbhani district of Maharashtra following a communal procession led by the RSS-affiliated “Sakal Hindu Samaj” (All Hindu Society), which triggered the desecration of a replica of the Indian Constitution on December 10th. This led to orchestrated police actions, including the extra-judicial killing of a promising law student Mr. Somnath Suryavanshi and injuries to hundreds of innocent citizens from communities protesting the desecration near Dr. Ambedkar’s statue.
Secondly, all stakeholders were rallying against the BJP government and its alleged anti-national EVM malpractices used to cling to power by any means necessary. Momentum was building among small and medium political parties, as well as civil society organizations, concerned about the deteriorating state of Indian democracy—particularly accusations of BJP rigging elections. Many of the aforementioned protesters, including the Congress party, were planning to corner the BJP government on issues of potential EVM fraud in Maharashtra, particularly around the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. Accusations included collusion with the Election Commission and the criminal use of government infrastructure, with RSS workers allegedly planted in the administration, police, judiciary, and media.
In the recent Maharashtra assembly elections, several opposition leaders have raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, particularly regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has demanded a re-election using ballot papers, citing alleged irregularities with EVMs. He claimed to have received approximately 450 complaints about EVM malfunctions and questioned the fairness of the election results. Raut highlighted instances where candidates reportedly received fewer votes than expected, suggesting potential discrepancies in the voting process. Similarly, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole criticized the EVM system, alleging that votes were being “stolen” and that the assembly elections lacked transparency. Patole pointed to unexpected increases in voter turnout percentages reported after the official polling hours as a basis for his concerns.
The political jibe by Amit Shah must be understood in this context. On one hand, the RSS and its numerous offshoots, including its political wing, the BJP, have a well-documented history of institutional aversion and disdain for the values of equality, fraternity, and liberty embodied by Ambedkar. On the other hand, the RSS-BJP consistently promotes and nurtures communal, casteist, and exclusionary religious nationalism to polarize gullible Hindus for political gains. This strategy sustains the status quo, ensuring that a micro-minority traditional ruling castes continue to dominate politically while keeping 90 % of Indian masses—including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Minorities—away from their democratic right to govern.
The Parbhani police atrocities and Ambedkar controversy appears to have been intentionally created by BJP-RSS to distract from the growing national concerns over anti-national EVM fraud and election rigging. Interestingly, in the past, RSS ideologue Subramanian Swamy and BJP leader L.K. Advani made similar accusations against the then-ruling Congress party, alleging that they had rigged elections through EVM fraud. This dynamic underscore the fact that Indian democracy, often touted as the largest election exercise on the planet, is, as foretold by visionary Dr. Ambedkar in BBC interview (1953), a mere “paraphernalia of democracy, quinquennial elections, Prime Ministers and so on and so on…. (sterile elections) not producing “really good men”.
Dr. Shrikant Borkar
(Policy Analyst)
BARD Postdoctoral Research Fellow @SOAS
