OPPOSITION PARTIES, joined by the Shiv Sena, on Tuesday boycotted a joint sitting of Parliament on the occasion of the 70th Constitution Day to protest against the political developments in Maharashtra. Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hailed the Constitution, his predecessor Manmohan Singh said “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Opposition members led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Singh gathered at the B R Ambedkar statue at Parliament House and read in various languages parts of the Constitution for over 90 minutes. Sonia read out the Preamble of the Constitution, while Singh read Article 14 of the Constitution — right to equality. When asked about the Prime Minister’s hailing the Constitution, Singh told reporters, “Well, I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The way the Central government has behaved in Maharashtra, it is not certain that constitutional norms are safe in the hands of present establishment.” Hitting out at the government, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said: “It is ironic that on the day India is celebrating its Constitution, the BJP government is busy working to destroy it. The Constitution belongs to every Indian. Let us pledge to uphold its values & defend it at all costs.” Among the parties that boycotted the joint session and participated in the protest were Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena, RJD, CPI, CPI(M), SP, BSP, JD(S), RSP and IUML. There were minor aberrations — Trinamool member Nusrat Jahan attended the Central Hall event, apparently because the party’s instructions were not clear to her, while BJP’s Khagen Murmu spent several minutes at the Ambedkar statue, mistaking the opposition demonstration for a gathering to pay homage to Ambedkar on Constitution Day. Some parties such as AAP stayed away from the demonstration at the Ambedkar statue, but joined the boycott of the Central Hall event. Sources said the opposition plan to boycott the Central Hall function and instead assemble at the Ambedkar statue had been formed by Monday afternoon. Opposition members came armed with copies of the Constitution, while some downloaded regional language versions on their phones after having failed to procure them from bookshops in Central Delhi. “It was a collective coordinated effort. Parts of the Constitution, various Articles, the Preamble were read out in different languages - English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam etc,” said TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien.
