Rahul Gandhi holds constitution high: Direct challenge to PM Modi’s leadership
Notably, remarks by a few BJP leaders that the Constitution might be “changed” if the party won more than 400 seats in the 543-strong Lok Sabha were latched on by the Opposition INDIA bloc, led by Congress, in last year’s general elections.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had harboured a wish to “throw away” the Constitution, but ended up bowing before it after the BJP’s below-expectation performance in the Lok Sabha polls. The Leader of the Opposition made the charge at a ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’, evoking peals of laughter from the crowds.
Rahul Gandhi's Claims Against PM Modi
Holding a copy of the Constitution close to his head, Gandhi said, “When Modiji entered Parliament after winning a third term, he did like this. He wanted to throw the Constitution away. But our concerted fight made him give up his boast of a 400-plus seat win for the BJP.” Notably, remarks by a few BJP leaders that the Constitution might be “changed” if the party won more than 400 seats in the 543-strong Lok Sabha were latched on by the Opposition INDIA bloc, led by Congress, in last year’s general elections. According to many surveys, the refrain “Constitution in danger” had resonated with a section of Dalits and backward classes who felt reservations could be done away with and refused to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the BJP-led NDA, causing the saffron party to fall short of majority and becoming heavily dependent on allies. Gandhi, who spoke for a little over 30 minutes, also linked the Constitution with a long chain of progressive ideas in the country, starting from the Buddha, and continuing till the times of newer icons like Ambedkar, and Narayana Guru.
Diverse Voices at the Sammelan
The function was addressed by people from various walks of life, two of whom were formerly associated with NDA partner JD(U), headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
While Ali Anwar, a former MP who runs an organisation dedicated to the cause of Pasmanda Muslims, spoke at some length about issues he strongly felt about, Bhagirath Manjhi, the son of legendary stone-cutter Dashrath Manjhi, nicknamed “mountain man”, gave a barely five minutes long speech in which he stressed on the need for placing society before self. Later, addressing party workers at the historical Sadaqat Ashram, Gandhi vowed to inflict an “ideological defeat” on the BJP-RSS combine in Bihar, a “land of revolution”, where assembly polls are due later this year.
The Ongoing Battle: Samvidhan vs. Manuvad
“The nation is witnessing a fight between Samvidhan and Manuvad,” said Gandhi, who also claimed that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent statement that the country got “true Independence” only after the consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya last year was a virtual “disowning of the Constitution”.
(Except for the headline, nothing has been changed by All India News Network in the PTI copy.)
