Congress President Kharge claims efforts on to change constitution, warns about dictatorship
Bengaluru, Feb 25: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday claimed that efforts are underway to change the Constitution, and warned people that there would "certainly be a dictatorship" in India if they don't stand strong and united in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He was speaking at the valedictory of the 'Constitution and National Unity Convention -2024' here.
"Many people are trying to erase or change the Constitution. If you don't stand strong and united in the upcoming election and if the Constitution is affected, it is certain that there will be a dictatorship in this country in the days to come. Whether you want dictatorship or want to lead a life with justice, (deciding that) is important," Kharge said.
"If the Constitution survives, the unity of this country will survive. If democracy survives, every one can live with prosperity. But today there is no government at the Centre that either protects the Constitution or functions keeping the Constitution in mind," he added.
This is why protecting the Constitution and abiding by it is most important, he said, in his address to the gathering.
Kharge called on the citizens to be aware of efforts to mislead them by trying to impose a certain ideology.
He claimed that there was a conspiracy underway to frame a new Constitution by giving up the existing one. "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi speaks about protecting the Constitution, but why are the protectors of the Constitution using the ED (on opposition leaders), purchasing MLAs of opposition parties to take control of opposition-ruled states or governments as done in Karnataka, Manipur and Goa? How far is this constitutional," Kharge said.
If this "obsession" continues, there may be a day when there will be a dictatorship in this country, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is used to saying "my guarantee" instead of "Government's guarantees" or at least "BJP government's guarantees", Kharge said.
"How is it your (Modi) guarantee? It is not yours, when people of the country give money by paying taxes....if a person in this way says I did, I have done, I, I, I....then he will lead the country towards dictatorship one day."
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Among developing states, TN leads with growth of 11.19 per cent, no thanks to BJP: Udhayanidhi
Thanjavur/Pudukottai (PTI): Tamil Nadu currently stands as the number one state among India’s developing regions, boasting a significant growth rate of 11.19 per cent, despite a stark lack of support from the BJP-led union government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin said on Sunday.
"The central administration has failed to provide requested projects or the funds rightfully due to the state. This neglect reached a peak in the last Union Budget, where the name "Tamil Nadu" was entirely absent, with no new projects allocated to the region," Udhayanidhi told the gathered crowd at Peravurani in Thanjavur.
He also accused the central government of "attempting to undermine" the state's cultural identity by re-imposing a 'Three-Language Policy' and pushing Hindi and Sanskrit into the territory.
"While these threats loom, the opposition leader, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent. Instead of questioning these injustices, he has formed an alliance with the BJP, effectively facilitating the entry of these policies into Tamil Nadu," the Deputy Chief Minister added.
According to him, the upcoming assembly election presents a critical opportunity for the people to respond to this continuous neglect.
"It is time for the voters to decide whether to support the Tamil Nadu team or a Delhi team that ignores the state’s developmental needs and linguistic heritage," he added.
Earlier, speaking at Viralimalai in Pudukottai, he argued that this election "is a war between the Delhi Team and the Tamil Nadu Team".
"We are the Tamil Nadu Team...we must send Delhi Team back to where they came from with a decisive win," he said.
He urged the electorate to break the "remote control" Delhi uses to try and control Tamil Nadu.
Udhayanidhi attacked the opposition, specifically targeting incumbent MLA and AIADMK candidate C Vijayabaskar by calling him a "drama company actor", who is part of a "slave group" being threatened by the CBI and ED.
The deputy CM listed the infrastructure and welfare achievements of the "Dravidian Model" government, specifically mentioning quality road works worth Rs 25 crore for 30 km and drinking water connections worth Rs 17 crore in the region.
He also claimed that the DMK revived the laptop scheme for college students after the AIADMK abandoned it in 2019.
Looking toward a second term, he promised that the government would increase the women's entitlement amount to Rs 2,000 and build Rs 10 lakh houses under the 'Kalaignar Kanavu Illam' initiative for those without homes.
Invoking his political lineage, he told the local cadre to set a high target, noting that while the party lost the seat by a narrow margin previously, this time DMK must win by a margin of "50,000 votes to drive away the slave group".
