Congress slams BJP, RSS as MP says will tweak Constitution

PTI

New Delhi, March 10

The Congress on Sunday accused the BJP and the RSS of having a “hidden and devious” agenda of “re-writing and destroying” the Constitution after ruling party’s MP Anantkumar Hegde remarked that his party needed a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution.

‘Not party’s Views, explanation sought’

• The BJP moved to defuse the row sparked by Hegde, dubbing his remarks “personal opinion” and seeking a clarification from him
• Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the BJP had always acted in line with constitutional ethos and national interest
• In a post on X, Karnataka BJP said, “Hegde’s remark on the Constitution are his personal views and do not reflect the party’s stance. We has sought an explanation from Hegde.”

Addressing a gathering at Karwar in Karnataka, Hegde said the BJP needed a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament to amend the Constitution and “set right the distortions and unnecessary additions made to it by the Congress”.

“The Congress fundamentally distorted the Constitution by forcefully filling unnecessary things in it, especially by bringing in laws that were aimed at suppressing the Hindu society. If the Constitution has to be amended, if all of this has to be changed, it is not possible with this (current) majority. If we think it can be done as the Congress is not there in the Lok Sabha and PM Modi has two-thirds majority in the House and keep quiet, it is not possible,” he said, laying stress on BJP’s need to have two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and also win two-thirds of the states, to bring changes in the Constitution. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the MP’s remark was a public declaration of the “hidden intentions” of PM Modi and their Sangh Parivar.

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that Hegde’s statement “yet again exposes Modi-RSS’ devious agenda to impose dictatorship”.

“The Modi government, BJP and RSS secretly desire to impose a dictatorship, whereby they will impose their ‘Manuvaadi’ mindset on the people of India and snatch away the rights of the SCs, STs and OBCs,” he said in a post on X.

“There will be no elections, or at the most, just sham elections. Independence of institutions shall be curtailed. Freedom of expression shall be bulldozed. The RSS and the BJP will destroy our secular fabric and unity in diversity,” Kharge alleged and asserted that the Congress would not allow these “ulterior motives” of the Sangh Parivar to succeed.

He alleged such calls by the BJP-RSS from time to time were a “direct assault” on the “unquestionable ethos of sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic espoused by our Constitution-makers”.

In a post on X, Rahul alleged, “By dividing the society, trammelling the right to freedom of expression and crippling institutions, they want to turn India’s democracy into a narrow dictatorship by conspiring to eliminate the opposition.”

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