Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday attacked the NDA government by saying the basic ideals of Indian Constitution are under threat in response to Rajnath Singh’s jibe at actor Aamir Khan.
Congress struggled for the Constitution but today we see the basic ideals of our Constitution are under threat. Those who have no respect for the Constitution and have no role in the making of the Constitution are claiming to be safeguarding the Constitution, said Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Parliament.
Her party has indicated that its primary agenda in the session will be to attack the BJP-led government over what it calls “rising intolerance”.
The Congress chief quoted BR Ambedkar, to whom the two-day discussion pays tribute, saying, “No matter how good the Constitution is, if the people who implement it are bad, then the Constitution will also turn out bad. And no matter how bad the Constitution is, if the people who implement it are good, it will turn out to be good,” and smiled at protests from the treasury benches, adding, “This is for you and us.”
“The history of the Constitution is very old and is linked to our freedom struggle and that it why it is interlinked with the Congress party,” she said, speaking in Hindi, also making another jibe at the BP when she said, “The people who don’t have faith in the constitution, the people who didn’t play any role in framing the Constitution, are swearing by the Constitution. What can be a bigger joke than that?”
Mrs. Gandhi said Dr Ambedkar, widely acknowledged as the architect of the Constitution, had praised the discipline of the Congress party which helped the Drafting Committee to give full information about every Act in the Constitution.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the deputy leader of the Lok Sabha, began the discussion in the lower house.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will intervene in the discussion in both Houses. Before Parliament convened the PM said, “Debate and dialogue are the soul of Parliament.” He has expressed hope that the opposition will allow Parliament to function this time, after several sessions that saw days of adjournments and little work.
A united opposition has made it clear that it first wants a discussion on intolerance to end with Parliament adopting a resolution.
The government, which is focused on pushing crucial legislation like the key reform measure the Goods and Services Tax bill, has said it is “ready to discuss all issues including that of the so-called intolerance though it falls in the domain of states.” But it is not expected to agree to a resolution.
“Secularism is the most misused word in the country…This must stop. Because of the rampant misuse of the word, there have been instances of tension in society,” Mr Singh said, taking on the Congress, which has come to Parliament this session prepped to attack the government over what it calls “growing intolerance.”
principle architect of the Constitution, didInitiating the special two-day discussion, Mr Singh contended that BR Ambedkar, considered the not believe it was necessary to include the words “secular” and “socialist” – added later to the Preamble in the Congress regime of Indira Gandhi – as “these are values core to the Indian ethos.”
