The Congress on Thursday said that a few party leaders and its official handle received notices from the social media platform X for allegedly violating laws by sharing video clips of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The party was referring to clips of Shah’s comments about BR Ambedkar. “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar,” he was heard saying in the clip. “If they had taken God’s name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven.”
Shah made the remark on Tuesday during his speech on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha.
Following his remarks, Congress leaders shared the clips on social media and demanded the home minister’s resignation, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party leader had insulted Ambedkar. Shah, however, alleged that the Congress presented a distorted version of his speech in the Rajya Sabha.
On Thursday, Supriya Shrinate, the head of the Congress’ social media department, said that a few party leaders, including Jairam Ramesh and herself, had received the email a day earlier from X about the clips. The notice did not mention what laws were violated, she said.
“I fail to understand which laws were violated,” Shrinate said. “X goes on to say that given the freedom of speech and expression, they will not take it down, but in the interest of transparency, they have informed us.”
Shrinate said that the notice clearly indicated that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had written to the social media platform to take down the video of Shah.
“I want to ask Amit Shah, If you have nothing to hide, why do you want this video to be taken down because this video is neither forged, nor clipped nor edited,” the Congress leader said, noting that the speech could be found on the Rajya Sabha website.
“The reality is you know that you have insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar, and you have nowhere to hide,” Shrinate said.
She said that the home minister should apologise to the country and resign. “But you choose to intimidate us,” Shrinate added. “Do you think we will get intimidated and take down the video? No, we will not.”
On Wednesday, Shah claimed that the Congress leaders were twisting facts and distorting his comments on Ambedkar in the Upper House of Parliament.
The Congress launched the “malicious” campaign after the discussion on the Constitution established that the Opposition party was “anti-Ambedkar” and “anti-reservation”, he alleged.
Several MPs of the Opposition INDIA bloc also protested inside Parliament premises on Thursday demanding Shah’s apology.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!