NEW DELHI: Seeking to corner BJP during a discussion on Constitution in Parliament, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the saffron party’s “supreme leader” – V D Savarkar – had called ‘Manusmriti‘ better than the Constitution and asked if BJP wasn’t mocking him by praising Ambedkar and the Constitution.
Rahul invoked the legend of Eklavya being forced to chop off his thumb. Likening Eklavya’s thumb to his craft, and aspiration, Rahul said BJP “is out to cut the thumb of the entire country” – youth, entrepreneurs, SC, ST, OBCs, farmers and minorities.
Rahul cites Sambhal row, says BJP spreads hate everywhere
In his just under half-an-hour speech on the 75-year journey of the Constitution, Rahul Gandhi said the Constitution is a modern document, but it has the voice of ancient India comprising wisdom of philosophers like Basavanna, Mahavir, Phule, Ambedkar and Kabir.
But, quoting the Hindutva icon, he said, “Your supreme leader Savarkar says, ‘The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is the scripture that is most worshippable after the Vedas, and which, from ancient times, has been the basis of our culture, customs, thought, and practice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Today, Manusmriti is law’.”
Rahul asked, “Do you (BJP) support your leader’s words? But when you speak about defending the Constitution, you are ridiculing Savarkar, you are abusing Savarkar, you are defaming Savarkar.”
As he framed the Mahabharat battle in Kurushektra in these days as “Constitution vs Manusmriti”, Rahul said INDIA bloc represents defenders of the Constitution.
“You (BJP-RSS) praise these people (Ambedkar, etc) hesitatingly because you have to. But the truth is that you want India to be run the way it used to be run,” he said.
Elaborating on the Eklavya metaphor, Rahul said the “thumb of youth is cut through paper leaks and Agniveer scheme; the thumb of fair businessmen is chopped off by giving Dharavi, ports, airports, defence industry to Adani and Ambani”. He said backward classes are being hurt through lateral entry in govt jobs, which have no provision of reservation, while farmers’ demand for support price is rejected. He demanded caste census and removal of 50% cap on reservation “to show the country whose thumb you have cut”.
Having met the family of deceased victim of Hathras gangrape that took place four years ago, Rahul said the family is confined to their house while the accused are roaming freely and threatening the girl’s kin. “Where in the Constitution is it written that rapists can roam freely while the victim would be shut in their house? It may be in Manusmriti, but not in the Constitution,” he said.
On Sambhal police firing on Muslims, he asked where was it written in the Constitution that innocents can be shot dead. “Wherever you go, you pit one religion against the other. You spread hatred. Where is it written in the Constitution that it can be done?” he added.
Rahul said Ambedkar’s three concepts of political, social and economic equality do not exist now.