BJP stands for Manusmriti, not Constitution: LoP Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi : Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during his debate on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution on Saturday, December 14, alleged that the Union government does not follow the philosophy of the Constitution of India.
Quoting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader VD Savarkar, Gandhi said that the former did not believe in the Indian Constitution and preferred Manusmriti, a scripture, be codified as Indian laws. Savarkar called Manusmriti “most worshipable” for Hindus after the Vedas, according to Gandhi.
The Congress leader asked the ruling party MPs, those who have recently been advocating “protecting the constitution”, whose philosophy they stood for – the RSS or the Indian constitution.
“Nice that you say you are defending the Constitution, but I want to ask, do you stand by your leader’s words? Because when you speak about protecting the Constitution you are abusing, ridiculing Savarkar,” the Leader of Opposition told the BJP.
“The Constitution is a document of modern India but it could never have been written without ancient India and her ideas,” Rahul Gandhi said.
His speech during the Constitution debate continued the theme of “Abhay mudra,” symbolised by an open palm. It is also the Congress’s party symbol.
In Saturday’s speech, Rahul Gandhi told the story of Hindu mythological characters of Ekalavya and Dronacharya. Ekalavya was an Adivasi warrior who was denied arms education by Dronacharya. He was later asked to cut off his thumb as a token of gratitude to the teacher.
Drawing a parallel to the current Indian scenario Rahul accused the Union government of metaphorically “cutting its citizens’ finger” through its policies.
“When you give Dharavi to Adani, you chop off the thumb of the small and medium businesses there…You have fired tear gas shells on farmers outside Delhi, the farmers are asking for fair prices…You are cutting the thumb of that farmer,” the Congress leader said.
When the government gives the country’s ports, airports, and defence industry to Adani, fair play businesses in India are being cut off,” he continued.
When the Modi-led government introduces lateral entry in the civil services and Agniveer schemes in the Indian army, lakhs of Indian youth are being cut off, Rahul Gandhi said.
“We want to tell every poor of this country that the Constitution protects you while the BJP attacks the ethos of the Constitution all day. The Constitution states that the state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, or any of them,” he said.
“Some days ago, youngsters from Sambhal came to see me; innocent people, who had done nothing, they were just standing nearby. Five people were shot dead. Where is this written in the Constitution? Wherever you go, you make people from one religion fight with another,” the Leader of the Opposition said.
