New Delhi, Nov 13 A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying that some people “carry the Constitution in their pocket”, the BJP on Friday said Gandhi comes from a party that “murdered” the Constitution by imposing Emergency.
Talking to PTI Videos, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Modi was “absolutely right” that some people treat the Constitution as their personal possession.
“They carry a red-coloured copy of the Constitution around but do not believe in its principles,” he said.
Hussain accused Gandhi of repeatedly attacking constitutional institutions and said he had targeted all four pillars of democracy.
“He has replaced Parliament with a mock Parliament, attacked the Election Commission, taken out a march against the Supreme Court and made objectionable remarks about the media,” he said.
The Congress had “murdered” the Constitution by imposing Emergency when it was in power, the BJP leader said, alleging that it continues to act against the Constitution despite being in the opposition.
“Yet, they keep carrying a copy of the Constitution in their hands and pockets,” he added.
Talking to reporters in Bihar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan said the Constitution is a sacred document that must be respected and followed, rather than displayed for political gains.
He said the Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar gave a voice to the poor and worked towards bringing deprived and oppressed sections of society into the mainstream.
Paswan questioned Gandhi’s practice of carrying a red-coloured copy of the Constitution and displaying it on public platforms.
“The Constitution is not something to be waved around; it is something to be respected and followed,” he said.
Paswan alleged that the Congress and the Gandhi family had never respected either the Constitution or its architect Ambedkar.
“Rahul Gandhi talks about respecting the Constitution while taking it out of his pocket and waving it. Is the Constitution something you keep in the pocket and wave around?” he asked, accusing the Congress of using the Constitution for vote-bank politics.
In an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at the Kisan Tak Bharat Agriculture Conference on Thursday, said, “These days, some people take out the Constitution from their pocket. They think that the nation’s Constitution and its democracy are right there in their pockets.”
“Even when they are not in government, they seem to be under a peculiar, intoxicating spell of power,” the prime minister added, without naming any party or leader.
(PTI News)
