In response to Rahul Gandhi‘s speech in the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fiercely countered the Leader of Opposition’s remarks, invoking the party’s history and defending its ideology. During his speech, Gandhi had invoked Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, questioning whether the BJP truly stands by the Constitution while criticizing the BJP’s treatment of his legacy. Gandhi challenged BJP members on whether they were sincere in their defense of the Constitution, particularly in light of their reverence for Savarkar, who remains a controversial figure for many.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur responded in the House by challenging Gandhi’s understanding of the Constitution. Thakur claimed that Gandhi, while displaying the Constitution, has never fully engaged with its contents, referring to it without understanding the significance of the document. “Some people roam around with a copy of the Constitution but are clueless about the number of pages it has,” Thakur said, adding that Gandhi had never even read two pages of it.
Thakur went on to refer to an interpretation of the Constitution by Supreme Court senior lawyer Gopal Shankar Narayan, who praised the intellectuals behind the document, including Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Thakur emphasized that the Constitution’s strength was that it was not influenced by Nehruvian thinking. He continued to critique Gandhi by reminding him of the Congress party’s historical attempts to undermine the judiciary, specifically referencing the Emergency of 1975. He added that, had the Constitution lacked its power, the citizens of India might not have been able to gain freedom from the Emergency.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also joined the chorus of criticism, highlighting the 1975 Emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Singh called it an abuse of constitutional rights, pointing out the Congress’s track record of violating the Constitution, especially during the era of Indira Gandhi’s dictatorship. “The Constitution was violated dozens of times,” Singh remarked, accusing Gandhi’s family of undermining democratic principles.
BJP MP Jagdambika Pal also brought up past incidents, including a controversial moment when Rahul Gandhi tore up a bill passed by his own government during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister. “Has Rahul Gandhi forgotten the day when he tore a bill passed by his own government? He insulted the Constitution that very day,” Pal said. He further pointed to historical tensions between the Congress leadership and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, particularly when Ambedkar was forced to resign from his post as Union Minister due to opposition from Jawaharlal Nehru.
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