Cong’s disinformation campaign failed, public aware of truth: Union minister Rijiju
Mumbai (PTI): Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that the Congress’ “disinformation campaign” has failed, referring to the opposition party’s claim during the Lok Sabha polls that the BJP would change the Constitution if it won the 2024 general elections.
People are now aware of the truth, said the BJP leader in a press conference here ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.
He targeted Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s visit to Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism 68 years ago, on Wednesday and attacked the Congress over historical political events and for “treating” Muslims as a vote bank.
Questioning Rahul Gandhi’s respect for the Constitution, he said, “The Congress should first answer why it insulted the Constitution and late Dr Ambedkar. The Congress had even ensured Dr Ambedkar’s defeat.”
He said the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru initially did not want Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution, in his cabinet, although the Dalit icon was eventually inducted and made the law minister.
Rijiju also mentioned Ambedkar’s resignation, describing it as an insult to him. This marked the beginning of significant changes in the constitutional framework, said the former law minister, citing the 42nd Amendment, passed during Emergency (1975-77).
“The spirit of the Constitution was attacked in 1975, and democracy was murdered,” Rijiju said, referring to the Emergency imposed by then PM Indira Gandhi.
Rijiju also described Congress leaders holding copies of the Constitution as a “fake drama”, claiming the book had blank pages. “Some people told me that the books Congress party distributed to people (as copies of Constitution) had a red cover but with blank pages,” he said.
The BJP leader praised the pace of infrastructure development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the construction of highways and expressways.
The Maharashtra government, when Devendra Fadnavis was the CM, built the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway. He contrasted this with what he described as the failure of Congress-led governments in delivering on their promises in Telangana, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh.
“Within one month, people were dissatisfied with the guarantees made in these states,” he claimed.
Rijiju also accused the Congress of exploiting Muslims as a vote bank.
“Congress fooled Muslims. They are still poor, and no major work was done for them. This affected both the Muslim community and the country as a whole,” Rijiju claimed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
