'Systematic', 'strident' attack on Constitution by BJP-RSS visible: Kharge

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the BJP government of using every trick in its textbook to crush and curtail freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, and said every citizen should question the attack on the Constitution, its ethos and values.

His remarks come on Constitution Day, which marks the day when India adopted the Constitution in 1949.

In a post on X, Kharge said, "The Constitution of India is the lifeline of our Democracy". "As we observe and celebrate the 74th Constitution Day, we bow in utmost reverence to its makers — for they guaranteed the social, economic, and political rights of every Indian," the Congress chief said. Kharge charged that the present regime is using every trick in its textbook to crush and curtail all freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

The "systematic and strident attack" on the Constitution by the BJP-RSS is visible in the "rampant misuse" of every nut and bolt of the government machinery, he alleged.

"As a nation state, we could soon reach a tipping point where social justice and harmony shall become a casualty and the rights of the weaker sections would be gradually seized. "It is time to stand up against this politics of division and hate. The Indian National Congress is fighting this battle from the front," Kharge said. "Every citizen should question the attack on our Constitution, its ethos and its values," he also said. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said 74 years ago, the Constitution of India that is Bharat, was formally adopted by the Constituent Assembly. "The PM and his drumbeaters will of course proclaim their allegiance to it. This is sheer hypocrisy on three counts," he alleged. First, he claimed, the RSS had nothing whatsoever to do with the making of the Constitution and had actually opposed it.

"Second, the PM has already got some of his cheerleaders to advocate a total rewrite of the Constitution.Third, the PM has eroded the independence and professional autonomy of all Constitutional bodies and has encouraged Constitutional authorities to become blatantly partisan," he alleged.

In a post on X, the Congress said, "Let us all pledge to imbibe its values and defend it against the continuous assault under the present regime".

Kharge alleged that "dissent is being subjugated and criminalised, institutions are being pushed to the brink of becoming pawns in the grand game of imposing an authoritarian system, hate is being served under the garb of social changes." He also observed that Rahul Gandhi led the Bharat Jodo Yatra to spread the message of peace, unity in diversity, amity and compassion. The Yatra continues with him reaching out to more people, more states and more sections of the society, he noted.

Kharge said just like our freedom fighters fought the British, we are capable of fighting, without fear, and protecting democracy. "Today is the day to take inspiration from those inspiring leaders," he asserted. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Rajendra Prasad, K M Munshi, Sarojini Naidu, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and several eminent personalities should be remembered not only on this day, but everyday, he noted.

"For we are indebted to their vision and wisdom," he said, adding, "We, the People of India shall prevail. Jai Hind".

Ramesh said even though many books have been written on how our Constitution came into being, those by Granville Austin and B. Shiva Rao remain the authoritative works.

Arvind Elangovan's intellectual biography of Benegal Narsing Rau, one of the forgotten heroes of the Constitution making process, is a major new contribution, he noted.