Congress accuses BJP of attempting to weaken Constitution; BJP hits back

Guwahati, Jan 25:  Accusing the ruling BJP of working to weaken and change the Constitution of India, the opposition Congress on Friday said that it will be "at the forefront" of what it described as the fight to safeguard the Constitution of the country. The party on Friday held its 'Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyan' programme at the Srimanta Sankaradeva International Auditorium in Guwahati.

It was attended by K Raju, Congress Working Committee (CWC) permanent invitee and All India Congress Committee (AICC) coordinator for SC, ST, OBC, and Minority departments; Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah, Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia, AICC secretary Manoj Chouhan, and other leaders and workers from across the State.

Speaking on the occasion, Raju stated that since the inception of our Constitution in India in 1950, equal rights were given to all citizens, and untouchability was prohibited. The Indian Constitution gave equal rights to all citizens since the day it came into force. Other countries took many years to grant the same right to their citizens. Besides, the ideals and philosophies of our thousands-of-years-old history and our saints, philosophers, scholars, social reformers, and freedom fighters were also included in the Constitution of India.”

Stating that the RSS had opposed the promulgation of the Constitution and started an agitation against it on the very same day it was adopted, he said, "Even now the RSS is working against the Constitution. And during the last 10 years, the RSS-BJP has intensified their efforts to change the Constitution."

In addition, Borah accused the BJP-led state government of trying to curb the freedom of speech of the citizens as well as misusing the constitutional bodies and law enforcement agencies for its own political benefit.

"Many leaders who were under the scanner of investigative agencies when they were associated with the Congress are now free after joining the BJP," he said. He alleged that the BJP was playing divisive politics for the sake of power and also accused the RSS-BJP of disrespecting Assamese culture. Borah said that if the Congress comes to power in Assam, then a SIT would be formed to probe what he termed as cases of corruption under the current BJP-led government.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, Dilip Saikia, has claimed that the country's opposition parties, particularly the Indian National Congress (INC), are misinterpreting the Constitution of India and are engaged in misleading the masses through false narratives.

Addressing party workers during the 'Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan' organised by the district BJP at the district library in Guwahati on Thursday, Saikia said that Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's profound knowledge and vision for a just and inclusive society, as reflected in the Indian Constitution, have been often insulted by the Congress party.

"There are instances of the Congress crushing several clauses of the Constitution of India, murdering democracy by imposing Emergency, dislodging elected governments, and bringing in Article 370 to destabilise and pose a threat to the nation's integrity," he said.

He said that the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi is engaged in misinterpreting the Constitution through false narratives. "The BJP has launched the 'Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan' across the nation to make people aware of the truth and counter the false propaganda of the Congress," he said.

By-

Staff Correspondent/Reporter