Country will not let you attack Constitution: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi

Top leaders of the Congress, led by party chief Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, read out the preamble and parts of the Constitution in different languages while vowing to protect the Constitution at the nearly five-hour satyagraha. AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vowed in the names of those killed in the protests.

“In the name of Bijnor’s 22-year-old boy Anas, who used to support his family by operating a coffee vending machine and who had recently gotten married. In the name of 21-year-old Suleiman, who was preparing for the UPSC and used to take tuition. With tears in her eyes, his mother told me yesterday that her son has been martyred for his country… In the name of all the children who have been martyred in this movement. In the name of Bijnor’s Omraj Saini, whose family and his five children are still waiting for him… in all their names, we resolve today that we will protect the Constitution and not allow the Constitution to be destroyed,” Priyanka said.

Targeting the Prime Minister, Rahul in his concluding address said Modi was trying hard to stall India’s progress, destroy the economy and suppress its voice, which the country’s enemies always tried their best to achieve. “Narendra Modi… when you put pressure on the judiciary, you are hurting the country’s voice… you are trying to silence India’s voice when you let the police beat up and fire upon students… when you threaten and suppress India’s journalists… you are trying to silence India’s voice… when you snatch away jobs for crores… implement demonetisation… you are trying to silence the voice of the youth and the small traders…,” he said.

“Narendra Modi… you are not fighting the Congress… don’t have such a misunderstanding… This is not the Congress party… this is the voice of the country. You are standing against the voice of the people… I want to tell you and your friend (Home Minister) Amit Shah that this is not the voice of the Congress… this is the voice of Bharat mata… and Bharat mata is giving you a tremendous reply.”

Taking a dig at the PM over his remarks that those “spreading the fire” could be “identified by their clothes”, Rahul said, “As far as clothes are concerned, the entire country recognises you because of your cloth… It was you who had worn the suit worth Rs 2 crore and not the people of the country.”

He said the PM owes the country an explanation as to why was he suppressing the voice of students, why they were not getting jobs and why he destroyed the country’s economy.

“You are not able to provide jobs. You are not able to run the economy. That is why you are hiding behind hatred. That is why you are trying to divide the country… you can only do one thing which your organisation has taught you over the years… and I can say that no can do it better than you… how to divide the country, how to spread hatred and how to break the country… you have been taught that for years… and you are number one in that,” he said.

“The entire country… has understood… the students have understood that Narendra Modi knows only one thing — to spread hatred and nothing else… The country will not let you attack the Constitution, suppress the voice of Bharat Mata,” he said.