PM Modi leads counter to Opposition claims: ‘NDA respects Constitution… Even Babasaheb can’t change it’

A day after RJD chief Lalu Prasad said that, if re-elected, Modi would change the statute, the PM invoked the Constitution and B R Ambedkar at rallies in both Purnea and Gaya in Bihar, saying he was committed to both. “I feel indebted to the poor, backward classes, the Dalits, as I have come from among them. And I feel indebted to Babasaheb Ambedkar whose Constitution allowed someone like me to reach where I am,” Modi said.

In Gaya, he said: “The Congress and its partners are resorting to lies in the name of the Constitution just to abuse me. The NDA respects the Constitution… even Babasaheb Ambedkar can’t change it… The Constitution, given by Babasaheb and Dr Rajendra Prasad, has made me the PM.”

Modi also accused Opposition leaders of being “against the celebration of Constitution Day” and of “playing politics with the Constitution”. “For us, the Constitution is a matter of aastha (faith),” he said, adding that this election is about punishing those “who are against the Constitution”.

Linking the issue with his attacks on the Opposition of being “anti-Sanatan Dharma”, he said: “Those who abuse Sanatan should listen carefully… 80% to 90% of the people in the Constituent Assembly that made the Constitution were Sanatanis, and those Sanatanis supported Babasaheb Ambedkar in making such a great Constitution.”

Modi spoke along similar lines in an interview with ANI published on Monday.

On April 14, Ambedkar Jayanti, Modi said at a rally in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, that while the Congress “always insulted Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar”, “we honoured him”, and that his government had named even BHIM UPI used for digital payments after him. “As soon as the son of a poor family became the Prime Minister, the Congress started spreading rumours that Modi has come, the Constitution and democracy would be in danger,” he said.

On April 12 in Barmer, the PM said: “The Congress party, which denied Babasaheb Ambedkar the Bharat Ratna and imposed the Emergency, should be the last to comment on India’s Constitution.”

Separately, the BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission seeking action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of levelling “baseless” allegations against the PM of “wanting to impose one language” and of “seeking to change the Constitution”. The party said Rahul’s remarks not only undermine democratic principles but also have the potential to “incite civil unrest and discord”.

The BJP Meerut candidate, actor Arun Govil, its Nagaur nominee Jyoti Mirdha, its sitting Uttar Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde, who has not been nominated this time, and sitting Faizabad MP and nominee Lallu Singh have all made remarks along the lines that the Constitution could be changed if needed.

A leader admitted that the Opposition had been getting some resonance on the ground among voters that a next BJP government – having already taken measures such as abrogation of Article 370, and declared plans for a Uniform Civil Code and One Nation, One Election – could go ahead with such changes.

The BJP also remembers the backlash that came its way following RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s suggestion of a rethink on the reservation provision, the leader said. “Both the BJP and RSS are always accused of not being committed to the Constitution. Any attempt to invoke such fears could damage the party unless checked.”

A senior leader said that one group expected to react strongly to any perception of a change in the Constitution would, in fact, be the Dalits. “Because they associate the Constitution with Dr Ambedkar and their pride,” he said.

Apart from the Congress, its ally Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has said that the BJP would alter the Constitution if it returns to power with more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, as it has been seeking for the NDA led by it. “They (the BJP and RSS) want to get rid of the Constitution, they want to get rid of the democratic process so that they can crush all other ideas,” Rahul said in Wayanad on Monday.

In his Gaya speech, Modi mentioned that the BJP has been in power in different states and at the Centre, and claimed the country has seen its “best and peaceful time” in this period. Contrasting this with Opposition allegations that the minorities would have to leave the country if the BJP came to power, he said: “For the last 25-30 years, they have been playing the same old record that if the BJP comes to power, they will change the Constitution… But the minorities are flourishing and enjoying the benefits of government schemes now.”