 "People of Maharashtra will give BJP a befitting reply: Kharge to Fadnavis")
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday slammed the BJP over its leader Devendra Fadnavis' remarks on Rahul Gandhi showing a 'red-covered' copy of the Constitution, and said the people of Maharashtra and the country will give a befitting reply to the "anti-Constitution and anti-reservation" BJP.
His remarks came after Fadnavis asked what message Rahul Gandhi wanted to give by showing a red-covered copy of the Constitution of India. Fadnavis also accused the Congress leader of building a coalition of anarchists.
In a post on Hindi on X, Kharge asked why has the BJP started "hating" the Constitution of India so much.
"We are asking this question not only to the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Chief Minister of Assam, but also to Modi Ji, who had to bow down to the Constitution in Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections," Kharge said.
By repeatedly linking the Constitution with Naxalism, do the BJP/RSS leaders want to bring their defeated agenda of implementing Manusmriti in the country, he asked.
The BJP/RSS leaders are not able to tolerate that the Constitution gives equal rights to everyone and empowers Dalits, tribals, backward, minority and poor classes, Kharge alleged.
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He cited a paragraph from an editorial in what he said was "RSS mouthpiece Organiser" in its November 30, 1949 issue which stated that the worst thing about this new Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian in it.
The RSS was clearly standing against the main architect of the Indian Constitution i.e. BR Ambedkar and in support of Manusmriti, the Congress chief claimed.
"The whole country knows how the Sangh Parivar burnt copies of the Constitution and burnt effigies of Pandit Nehru and Babasaheb Ambedkar ji at that time!" Kharge said.
"The people of Maharashtra and the country will give a befitting reply to the anti-Constitution and anti-reservation BJP," he said.
Targeting Fadnavis, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday had said in a post on X in Hindi that according to the former chief minister of Maharashtra, showing Babasaheb's Constitution and raising voice for caste census is a "Naxalite idea".
"This thinking of the BJP is an insult to the Constitution-maker, Maharashtra's son Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar," he had said.
"During the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Maharashtra fought for the Constitution and gave a big victory to the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
"The people of Maharashtra will not tolerate any insult to Babasaheb by the BJP, and together with the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, they will defend our Constitution by responding with full force to every attack on it," he had said.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday campaigned for the Congress-NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance of the Opposition in the state where assembly elections will be held on November 20.
He carried a copy of the Constitution with a predominantly red cover at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan convention in Nagpur.