The Opposition on Tuesday boycotted the official Constitution Day programme, protesting the Narendra Modi government’s doublespeak on constitutional values and mirroring the resolve shown by the newly minted alliance in Maharashtra to put up a united front.
Burying their differences and the reservations that some had about boycotting the official programme, Opposition MPs joined the call given by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and gathered at the Ambedkar statue within the Parliament House complex just before the arrival of President Ram Nath Kovind in the Central Hall to address members of both houses of Parliament.
While they held up black banners and placards, the Opposition leaders were careful not to raise slogans lest it be seen as an attempt to disrupt the official event. Instead, one by one, they read out portions from the Constitution, beginning with Sonia reading the Preamble.
In a reminder to the government of what the Constitution enshrines at a time when it is pushing for a nationwide NRC and the religion-specific Citizenship Amendment Bill, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh read out Articles 14 and 15, which talk about the fundamental right to equality and prohibits the state from discriminating against anyone on the basis of caste, creed, race, sex and place of birth.
Later, responding to questions on Prime Minister Modi hailing the Constitution, Singh said: “Well I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The way the central government has behaved in Maharashtra, it is not certain that constitutional norms are safe in the hands of the present establishment.’’
Other leaders also chipped in by reading out portions of the Constitution in different languages to project the linguistic diversity of the country that many feel is being threatened by the Modi government’s push for Hindi.
Barring the BSP, all Opposition parties were at the Ambedkar statue as news came in of the Supreme Court ordering a floor test that paved the way for the resignation of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra chief minister and the BJP losing a big state — that too the financial powerhouse of India.
