INDIA bloc using Constitution as cover for vote bank politics: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit out at the INDIA bloc, accusing it of trying to misuse the Constitution for vote bank politics.

The strong comments by BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi came a day after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said if elected to power in Bihar, the opposition alliance would "throw the amended Waqf Act into the dustbin." The Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled to be held later this year.

Trivedi said such remarks show the opposition’s disregard for the Constitution, noting that the Waqf Act was passed by Parliament and is currently under the Supreme Court’s scrutiny.

He alleged that the RJD-Congress-Left alliance in Bihar is using socialism as a cover for what he described as “namazwaad,” or religious appeasement. "They want to turn the Constitution into a Sharia script, but we will not allow it,” Trivedi said at a press conference.

Referring to Tejashwi Yadav’s comments at a rally in Patna on Sunday, Trivedi said that the opposition’s push against the Waqf Act is aimed at appeasing a particular community for votes.

Notably, the RJD leader had addressed a ‘Save Waqf, Save Constitution’ rally in Bihar’s capital, saying the current ruling NDA in the state was “on its way out.”

Trivedi also accused opposition-ruled states like Telangana, Karnataka, and West Bengal of giving reservations to Muslim community at the cost of quotas meant for Hindu OBCs, SCs, and STs. “Even Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan don’t enforce the kind of Sharia provisions these parties are hinting at,” he added.

The BJP leader said his party-led NDA remains fully committed to protecting the Constitution as envisioned by BR Ambedkar, and warned that it would not allow any attempts to dilute its core values.

The BJP leader also claimed that Waqf properties are being handed over to a few self-styled religious leaders, instead of being used for the welfare of the community. “This is not socialism, this is selective appeasement,” he said.