The Congress leader shared the handwritten letter, ostensibly sourced from the National Archives, dated 18 January 1952, in which Ambedkar refers to Savarkar and Communist leader SA Dange for their role in his electoral defeat.
Published Mar 17, 2025 | 6:51 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2025 | 6:51 PM
Synopsis: Congress leader Priyank Kharge has demanded the resignation of BJP MLAs in Karnataka after sharing a letter purportedly proving that Savarkar worked against Dr BR Ambedkar in the 1952 elections.
The Karnataka Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT/BT), Priyank Kharge, on Monday, 17 March, called for the resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in the state after sharing a letter purportedly showing that Sangh ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar worked to defeat Dr BR Ambedkar in the 1952 elections.
In a post on X, the Congress leader shared the handwritten letter claimed to be by Ambedkar, ostensibly sourced from the National Archives, dated 18 January 1952, in which Ambedkar refers to Savarkar and Communist leader SA Dange for their role in his defeat.
Kharge said BJP legislators had previously stated on the Assembly floor that they would resign if proof emerged of Savarkar’s role in opposing Ambedkar.
“BJP MLAs declared on the floor of the house that they would resign if we present a document proving that Savarkar had acted against Babasaheb Ambedkar during his elections,” Kharge wrote in the post accompanying the letter.
He continued: “On 18 January 1952, Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote to his acquaintance, expressing his views on how Vinayak Damodar Savarkar played a role in his electoral defeat. In his letter, Dr. Ambedkar detailed the factors he believed contributed to his loss, highlighting Savarkar’s influence and political manoeuvres that worked against him.”
Kharge then questioned: “Here is the letter. When are the BJP Karnataka MLAs resigning?”
BJP MLAs declared on the floor of the house that they would resign if we presented a document proving that Savarkar had acted against Babasaheb Ambedkar during his elections.
On January 18, 1952, Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote to his acquaintance, expressing his views on how Vinayak… pic.twitter.com/zCDgw8FC5I
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) March 17, 2025
The letter, addressed to an acquaintance named Kamalakar, states:
“I have received your letter of the 13th Jan. I agree with some of your conclusions. I agree that the socialist voters have made a fair distribution of their votes between the Socialist candidates and the Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF) candidates, notwithstanding the minor shifts in the total votes cast for each set of candidates.
“I also agree that our defeat was due to Dange’s machinations. I agree with your analysis of Dange’s attitude towards us and the Congress. Whether what he did was because of collusion with Patil is more than I can say. Perhaps what you say is true.
“[Illegible] who was here recently told me that the plot to defeat me was hatched by Dange and Savarkar, who were inflamed by my proposal to partition Kashmir. He said that was revealed to him by [Illegible].”
BJP leaders have yet to respond to Kharge’s demands.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
