It has become a fashion for Rahul Gandhi to carry the Constitution of India in his hand and keep claiming that the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are there to destroy the Constitution and the democracy of our nation is in danger. His close advisors have failed to educate the Rae Bareli MP that he is treading a dangerous path since his great grandfather, grandmother, father and his own mother at various times had destroyed the very fabric of the Constitution to suit their own political convenience.
Challenging Ambedkar’s Vision
Rahul Gandhi himself has been walking a path and spinning a narrative which goes against the very essence of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s vision for India’s conscience, which is the very foundation of our principles of democracy. Time and again, Ambedkar had spoken against reservation on the basis of religion but today Rahul Gandhi and Congress party want to appease Muslim community by providing reservations based on religion which would deprive reservations for Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes community according to BJP leaders.
Exposing Misdeeds of the Family
The self-appointed crusader of being the protector of Indian Constitution was in for a rude shock when the Parliament decided to debate on the Constitution. It took no less than the Prime Minister of our country who launched a scathing attack on the wounds inflicted by the Nehru-Gandhi parivar on the cornerstone of Indian. During the debate in Parliament every word that was uttered by not only the speakers from BJP but also from the NDA allies punctured the carefully spun narrative by the Congress. Modi hit the last nail on the coffin of Fake Narratives that was built by Rahul Gandhi based on the tutelage by Deep State forces, which remotely control the former President of a grand old party sitting outside our country. These also exposed how hollow was his claim of having built a Mohabbat Ki Dukan. The blistering attack by the Prime Minister demonstrated how nasty the Dynasty behaved to protect itsown interests.
Denigrating Ambedkar
The first Amendment, which curtailed the functioning of the Indian press and curbed the Freedom of Expression, showed that Congress Party under the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru brooked no views of dissent, which is an essential ingredient in our Constitution. A party which today claims to be the messenger of love was filled with hatred if anyone dared to speak anything against the Congress. This was clearly established in the Parliament through the speeches of the PM.
Rahul Gandhi and Congress want to appease Muslims by providing reservations based on religion which would deprive reservations for Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes community
The speech by Modi also showed how the Congress showed scant respect to the founder of our Constitution when they refused to even install the portrait of Ambedkar in the Central Hall of Parliament. Pt Nehru himself awarded Bharat Ratna in 1955 for himself and even his daughter Indira Gandhi gave herself the highest civilian award when she was the Prime Minister in 1971 but it took a BJP supported Government led by VP Singh in 1990 to give that honour to Babasaheb Ambedkar.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha special discussion on 75th anniversary of adoption of Constitution on December 14. Addressing the House, Shri Modi remarked that it was a matter of pride and honour for all the citizens of India and all the people across the globe who respect democracy that we are celebrating this festival of democracy. Here are the key highlights of PM Modi’s speech:
India’s Constitution: A Legacy of Democracy
Prime Minister Modi praised the makers of the Constitution for recognising India’s ancient democratic traditions. “The makers of the Constitution did not believe that India or its democracy was born in 1947. They were deeply aware of the nation’s ancient cultural heritage,” he said, describing India as the “mother of democracy.”
Women at the Centre of Development
PM Modi highlighted India’s progress in women-led development, referring to President Droupadi Murmu as a symbol of inclusivity. “Today, women are at the centre of every major policy decision. It is significant that the head of our country, President Murmu, is a tribal woman,” he said.
He noted the growing participation of women in all sectors, including in Parliament, and the global recognition of this during the G20 summit.
Unity: A Cornerstone for Growth
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of unity for achieving development milestones. “Bharat will soon become the world’s third-largest economy. When we celebrate 100 years of Independence, we will ensure that the country becomes ‘Viksit Bharat’,” he said. Initiatives like the revocation of Article 370, ‘One Nation, One Grid,’ and Ayushman Bharat were highlighted as steps toward fostering national unity.
Emergency and the Congress Legacy
PM Modi took aim at Congress for imposing the Emergency in 1975, during which constitutional rights were suspended, and democratic values were trampled. “The sin of Emergency can never be erased from Congress’ legacy,” he remarked.
He added that citizens were jailed, media freedom was curtailed, and judiciary independence was undermined during this period.
Shah Bano Case
Referring to the Shah Bano case, PM Modi criticised Congress for overturning a Supreme Court ruling to appease vote banks.
“Rajiv Gandhi disregarded Supreme Court’s order given in favour of Shah Bano, and instead followed vote-bank politics,” he said, adding that such actions hurt constitutional principles like equality.
Section 35A and Article 370
The Prime Minister emphasised that the Congress government introduced Section 35A without Parliament’s approval, which undermined the democratic process. He credited the revocation of Article 370 as a decisive step in fostering national integration and unity.
Congress’ Disregard for Dr Ambedkar
PM Modi accused Congress of disrespecting Dr B R Ambedkar’s legacy, pointing out delays in memorial projects. “When Atalji was in power, the government decided to honour him with a memorial, but the UPA ensured that the project does not go ahead. When we came to power in 2014, we ensured that the memorial is built on Alipore Road,” he said.
The treatment meted out to Ambedkar by Nehru when he quit from the Union Cabinet in 1951 and the way Congress Party went out of its way to defeat him in not just one election but both the polls in 1952 and 1954 were clearly articulated by our Prime Minister. This exposed the disrespect that Congress Party had towards the social reformer who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India.
Murdering Democracy
PM Modi was at his best when he reminded the lawmakers and also the people of the nation when India suffered her darkest night when the draconian Emergency was clamped on the nation by Indira Gandhi. A constitutional provision which was supposed to be invoked only when the nation was in imperilment due to external threats or due to internal dangers was proclaimed to protect the chair of one family member of the Nehru-Gandhi parivar. Indira Gandhi was in danger of losing not only her Prime Ministerial post but could have also been barred from contesting in any election for a period of six years due to the Court verdict. Every pillar of our Constitution was slaughtered on that fateful night. Courts were rendered powerless, bureaucracy was hijacked, Parliament was made dysfunctional with all the Opposition leaders sent to custody and the media was shut to report any factual news item. This was not just an assault on Indian democracy but it was the murder of the same. While PM Modi was articulating on how the fabric of our holy book of Constitution was being destroyed, he did look into the people who were sitting on the other side of the aisle in the Opposition who were also made to suffer the same fate. In fact, one could not miss to see the leader of Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, and his wife Dimple Yadav acknowledge the same with a wry smile since Akhilesh’s father Mulayam Singh Yadav was also a victim of the Emergency and so was the DMK who are all now allies of Congress.
First Amendment: Nehru’s Attack on Freedom of Speech
Our Constitution came into force in 1950, and the First Amendment was passed in 1951 by Prime Minister Nehru. It is rather ironic that today, the Congress Party and the entire Left-wing ecosystem accuse the BJP of curbing Freedom of Speech, when, in the first Amendment, PM Nehru expanded the scope of “reasonable restrictions” on the Freedom of Speech and Expression guaranteed as a Fundamental Right in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Battle in the Court: Organiser and Cross Roads
In the year 1950, 22 Communist prisoners were killed and 107 were injured when they were shot by the Madras police in Salem Central Jail. Romesh Thapar, a young communist journalist, condemned this barbaric act in his magazine Cross Roads. The Government of Madras banned the circulation of Cross Roads under the Madras Maintenance of Public Order Act. Jawaharlal Nehru was concerned about his image and wrote a letter to Sardar Patel saying, ‘We are losing the support of the public, and a feeling is rising against the police, as existed under the British regime.’
At the same time, Organiser, under the editorship of K R Malkani, wrote a series of articles criticising the policies of Nehru and Liaqat Ali Khan for their ineffective handling of the refugee crisis in Bengal and their apathy towards the Hindus of the nation. Nehru shifted the blame on the journalists for “running down his reputation with a campaign based on ‘malicious misrepresentation of facts’ and outright fabrications”. He was particularly critical of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS, subjecting the Editors and printers of Organiser to the ‘pre-censorship’ order under the East Punjab Public Safety Act, to force them to submit all their content for prior approval from the Government.
Editor of Organiser, K R Malkani, and the printer of Organiser, Brij Bhushan filed a petition in the Supreme Court. Thus, two cases for Freedom of the Press were discussed in the court simultaneously, Brij Bhushan vs. The State of Delhi and Romesh Thappar vs. The State of Madras. These cases attracted a lot of public attention, and the Government of India received criticism from all quarters. Eventually, on May 26 1950, the verdict for both cases was pronounced, quashing the restrictions as void and pointing out that the Government had misinterpreted and misused the constitutional provision of Article 19(2), providing reasonable restrictions to the Right to Freedom.
The legal defeat of the Indian Government became the starting point for the ruling regime to arm-twist the Constitution to suit their agenda. The Constitution was put into action just 14 months ago under the same regime and was now being amended because it was seen as an ‘obstacle’.
Under the guise of making reforms feasible, the proposed Amendment tried to curb the Freedom of the Press in India by implementing what Nehru called “reasonable restrictions” on freedom.
The proposed Amendment introduced new clauses for curbing the Freedom of the Press, including public order, interests of the security of the state, and the relations with foreign countries under Article 19 (2). Nehru faced a hard time debating with Syama Prasad Mookerjee as he bashed Nehru for diluting the Constitution into a “scrap of paper”.
Despite the severe criticism from all quarters and the press coverage of the same, Nehru succeeded in implementing his proposed Amendment on June 18 1951, largely because of the dominance of Congress leaders in the Parliament.
Emergency was Darkest Chapter
This was not the end of constitutional changes. The darkest chapter in the political history of independent India came during the Internal Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when Opposition leaders were jailed, and the infamous 42nd Amendment was enacted.
The 42nd Amendment stands out for its far-reaching effects and is often referred to as the “mini Constitution.” This Amendment, among other things, added the words “secular” and “socialist” to the Preamble of the Constitution. These terms had been explicitly debated and rejected by several founding members, including Dr BR Ambedkar, who opposed the inclusion of “socialist” because he believed that adding would be “destroying democracy altogether.”
Notably, the 42nd Amendment was enacted during the internal Emergency when Opposition leaders were imprisoned. If one is truly searching for dictatorship in Indian politics, this is where his quest ends.
Rajiv Gandhi succumbs to pressure of Muslim hardliners
Another member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, former PM Rajiv Gandhi, In 1986, set a dangerous precedent of catapulting to Muslim hardliners. The Mohd. Ahmad Khan vs. Shah Bano Begum & Others case and the subsequent legislation passed by the Rajiv Gandhi government is often remembered as a pivotal moment in India’s political history.
The Muslim hardliners and clerics pushed the then Rajiv Gandhi government, elected in 1984, to pass the Muslim Women (Protection on Divorce Act), 1986. This law overturned the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Shah Bano case. The 1986 Muslim Women (Protection on Rights of Divorce) Act diluted the Supreme Court judgment and allowed maintenance to a divorced woman only during the period of iddat, or till 90 days after the divorce.
Sonia Gandhi insults PM
Former Media Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sanjay Baru, in his book The Accidental Prime Minister, stated that while Manmohan Singh held the office of Prime Minister, he wielded little real power. He had minimal control over his cabinet members, lacked authority in key appointments, and Congress President Sonia Gandhi often made decisions on files that ultimately bore his signature.
Baru asserted that Sonia Gandhi was the de facto authority. Sonia Gandhi was allegedly referred to as the Super PM, exerting an upper hand over the Prime Minister. She maintained this control through bureaucrat Pulok Chatterjee, who was appointed to a key position in the Prime Minister’s Office at her behest. Such influence undermined the authority of the Prime Minister, constituting a clear insult to the sanctity of a constitutional post.
Rahul Gandhi tore Ordinance in House in 2013
The next generation of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, also insulted the Constitution in 2013 as he tore up an ordinance regarding the disqualification of convicted lawmakers. Notably, he was not the person being elected to a position of power and was given precedence over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh through the National Advisory Council, which is an insult to the Constitutional post of The Prime Minister of India.
This ordinance had been approved by the cabinet led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Rahul Gandhi’s actions are an example of disrespect towards the constitutional process and the authority of the then Prime Minister.
Congress’ hypocrisy on minority rights and reservations
The Congress Party’s disregard for the Constitution continues as in Karnataka, Congress promised reservations for Muslims and pledged to safeguard Muslim Personal Laws. This stands in stark contrast to the Places of Worship Act (1991), which effectively deprived Hindus of reclaiming temples converted into mosques before 1947. Congress also passed the Waqf Act, granting Muslim bodies significant power to claim land, furthering their appeasement politics.
The message was loud and clear that the Congress had no moral right to speak about the Constitution and if someone had a right it was the ruling BJP since Atal Bihari Vajpayee. When he lost the confidence motion by one vote, Vajpayeeji accepted the verdict and resigned. He did not even think of indulging in horse trading while the Congress Party fearing loss of power to its dynast abused and misused the laws to stay in power. Such was their lust for power. Every second into his speech, the edifice of the fake narratives of the Congress party was getting smashed brick by brick.
Unmasking Congress
Once PM Modi decides to take it upon himself to take the battle to the Opposition he does not leave any stone unturned. It was a matter of minutes before he came to the controversial Shah Bano case. This was a clear attempt by Rahul Gandhi’s father Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 when the Parliament passed an act titled ‘The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986’ that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Shah Bano judgement. Diluting the Supreme Court judgement, the act allowed maintenance to a divorced woman only during the period of iddat or till 90 days after the divorce, according to the provisions of Islamic law. This was in stark contrast to Section 125 of the code. The liability of the husband to pay maintenance was thus restricted to the period of iddat only. (iddat is the period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce during which she may not marry another man).
During Indira Gandhi’s period, Every pillar of our Constitution was slaughtered on that fateful night. Courts were rendered powerless, bureaucracy was hijacked.Parliament was made dysfunctional with all the Opposition leaders sent to custody
Rajiv Gandhi went against the highest courts of law in the country and with a brute majority played vote bank and appeasement politics; thereby causing grave injustice to Muslim women. This exposed the brazen attempt by the Congress Party to treat the citizens of our country as a mere vote bank without addressing their aspirations. One should recall Rahul Gandhi’s interview in a popular national channel in the prelude to 2014 Lok Sabha elections where women’s empowerment was his most often repeated words.
Power Without Responsibility
It was not surprising that he chose to quote how the dynasty enjoyed power without accountability and responsibility. This was during the UPA regime when Sonia Gandhi occupied the Chairperson of National Advisory Council which was responsible for drafting of several bills during that period keeping the Parliament and Law Makers at bay. This was an assault on the Constitution of our country and was severely criticized and condemned by several scholars. There was also an infamous incident of the angry young Rahul Gandhi who tore the ordinance which was approved by the UPA Cabinet calling it as complete nonsense. The intervention of Prime Minister Modi’s on the constitutional debate clearly established the brazen methods followed by the Congress Party to disrespect every pillar of our democratic values & Constitution of India.
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