Kharge demands AAP govt’s apology: ‘Uses Ambedkar for politics, fails to protect values’

“We also demand that strict action, without fail, must be taken against the perpetrators. Otherwise, the nation would be forced to think that both the Union government and the government of Punjab are promoting such vandalism,” Kharge stated. He said the Punjab government utilised every opportunity to use Ambedkar’s name and photograph for its politics and to seek votes but “failed miserably” when it came to protecting his values and vision. “The failure to safeguard Ambedkar’s legacy and ensure due respect to his symbolic presence in the form of statues is not just a regional issue — it is emblematic of a systemic disregard for the values of justice, equality and fraternity that Dr Ambedkar stood for,” he said.

Union Minister Athawale accused the AAP government of taking the “incident lightly” and demanded that Mann should take moral responsibility and resign as chief minister of Punjab. Athawale, the Republican Party of India chief, also said that the “guilty person should be hanged”.

Another Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “On January 26, tableaux were being taken out on Kartavya Path and respect was being shown to the Constitution, whereas in Amritsar, Baba Saheb’s statue was being vandalised. Arvind Kejriwal should apologise for that”. Dharamkot resident Akashdeep Singh, 24, was Sunday arrested for allegedly attempting to damage the statue.