Maharashtra minister seeks vote for BJP to ‘change constitution’

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, April 16

Maharashtra’s Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde has landed in a controversy by seeking votes for the BJP in order to change the Indian Constitution.

”This is not a Zilla Parishad election but a Lok Sabha election. Mahamanav Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar wrote the Constitution. We have to now change the Constitution, enact new laws and make some changes to the Constitution. For this we have to send a capable person to the Lok Sabha,” Pankaja said at an election rally in her hometown of Ambejogai.

Shortly after footage of the minister’s speech went viral on social media, opposition parties bit into her. Dhananjay Munde, Pankaja’s estranged cousin and Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said on behalf of his Nationalist Congress Party that changing the constitution was not as easy as eating chikki.

 “No one should dream about changing the Constitution,” Dhanajay retorted to Pankaja’s comments while addressing a rally on behalf of NCP candidate Sangram Sonavane.

The Congress party said the cat was out of the bag.

“Pankaja may have inadvertently spoken the truth. This is the real face of the BJP and the people should be wary of this party,” Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said.