On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of attempting to “hijack” the Constitution for political gain and asserting that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would never allow the fundamental character of the Constitution to be altered. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of India’s Constitution, Singh detailed the BJP’s staunch opposition to constitutional misuse and amendments driven by vested interests.
“No matter how hard Congress tries, we will never allow the basic character of the Constitution to be changed,” Singh declared. Highlighting historical instances, he added, “You see the history. We had strongly opposed every attempt to hurt the basic character of the Constitution even during the dark days of the Emergency.”
Singh accused Congress of a long history of manipulating the Constitution for its own agenda. He pointed to the Emergency period (1975-1977) as the most egregious example of constitutional misuse, saying, “The Congress party does not have the moral authority to lecture us on the Constitution. It’s the same party that silenced critics by amending the Constitution to serve their interests.”
Detailing amendments carried out by Congress governments, Singh revealed that Jawaharlal Nehru implemented 17 constitutional amendments, Indira Gandhi 28, Rajiv Gandhi 10, and Manmohan Singh seven. He charged, “These were not for the welfare of the public but to perpetuate power and suppress dissent”. The minister cited specific instances, including the 1951 amendment that curtailed freedom of speech.
“When the Congress government’s wrong policies were criticised in the press, they responded by banning the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s weekly publication ‘Organiser’ and the magazine ‘Crossroads’ published from Madras. The Supreme Court later quashed the censorship order, deeming it unconstitutional. Instead of respecting the court’s judgment, Congress amended the Constitution to suppress free speech,” Singh said.
The defence minister also criticised the Opposition’s recent push for a caste census, accusing the Congress of using it as a political tool. He said, “The same party that misused the Constitution in the past is now talking about conducting a caste-based census. While we have no objection to a discussion on the matter, we want transparency”.
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