Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
Look who’s talking about the Constitution now.
India’s ruling party on Saturday accused the Congress of mocking the Constitution of the country, with Union home minister Amit Shah leading the charge in Jharkhand, a state where the erstwhile BJP-led government had booked over 1,000 people for sedition for demanding their constitutionally mandated right.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had adopted the Constitution of India as his weapon of choice in his party’s fight against the BJP-led Narendra Modi government at the Centre. In Lok Sabha campaign rallies, Rahul Gandhi would either start or sign off his election rallies waving a red-coloured copy of the Constitution.
He repeatedly said the Constitution was under threat with the BJP in power.
The campaign worked to a certain extent, as the BJP’s tally in the Lok Sabha dropped to 240 from the 303 the party had won five years ago, while in a decade’s time Congress performed its best at 99.
The Gandhi family scion carries the edition in his pocket and is often seen waving the copy while addressing the Lok Sabha. Many of the Opposition INDI Alliance leaders including the late CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury carried the Constitution’s copy with themselves.
Two days ago, during a closed door meeting at Nagpur, the Congress was accused of distributing the Constitution with blank pages in between the covers, except for the Preamble.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed that the Congress party has been losing its support base over the years due to the unity of SCs, STs, Dalits, and Adivasis. Speaking at an election rally in Nanded, Maharashtra, Modi criticised the Congress, saying they were displaying a red book labelled Constitution of India with blank pages inside. He also questioned their affinity for Article 370, referring to the opposition's demand to restore it in Kashmir, and accused the Congress of showing disregard for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Modi called the party's actions a "foolish and unfortunate political play," which, he said, has shocked the entire nation, as quoted by PTI.
Shah referred to the Nagpur incident while campaigning for next week’s Assembly elections in Jharkhand.
PTI quoted Shah as saying in Palamu on Saturday: “Rahul Gandhi shows a copy of the Constitution. He was exposed two days back. Someone got a copy of the Constitution he has shown. The Constitution of India was written on the cover of that copy which was void of any content. Don’t make a mockery of the Constitution. It is a question of faith and trust. By waving a fake copy of the Constitution, you have insulted B.R. Ambedkar and the Constituent Assembly. The Congress party has made the Constitution a mockery.”
From the Lok Sabha poll campaign days, the BJP has targeted the Congress saying that the grand old party wanted to remove reservations from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and give them to Muslims, the community labelled as the votebank of the Congress and INDI alliance partners Trinamul Congress, Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janta Dal and the Left parties.
"The Congress is against OBC quota, it promised 10 per cent reservation to minorities when a delegation of Ulemas met Congress leaders in Maharashtra. Under PM Modi's leadership, the BJP will never allow religion-based reservations,” Shah said during his speech.
In May 2016, the Narendra Modi led government had made two crucial changes in the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, brought through ordinances, which allowed transfer of tribal land to the government as well as private players.
The move sparked the Pathalgadi movement in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, where keeping in tune with the tribal traditions inscribed on stone slabs were the rights of the tribal communities that include self-rule, right over land and prohibit entry of outsiders.
As many as 1,000 people were booked for sedition when the BJP was in power. The anger among the tribal population was ascribed as a reason for the BJP losing power in Jharkhand, a state it had helped create.
