No govt in past 'insulted' Ambedkar the way Amit Shah did: Priyanka Gandhi
Belagavi (Karnataka), Jan 21 (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said no government in the past had insulted the Constitution and its architect B R Ambedkar inside Parliament the way Union Home Minister Amit Shah had.
She alleged that the BJP wanted to "weaken" the Constitution and its institutions.
"Many governments have come and gone, including non-Congress governments, but no government had a minister who stood in Parliament and insulted Ambedkar," Priyanka Gandhi said at the 'Gandhi Bharat' event organised in Belagavi.
The Congress organised the event to commemorate the centenary of the lone Congress session Mahatma Gandhi had chaired as the party’s president in 1924.
Themed as 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan', the event targetted Union Home Minister Amit Shah for "insulting" the Indian Constitution and its architect B R Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha recently.
Vadra said people never imagined that Ambedkar would be "insulted" inside Parliament. By doing so, Shah had "insulted" the country and the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for it, she alleged.
According to her, Shah dared to "insult" Ambedkar and the Constitution because, while the country fought for independence, another ideological stream emerged that was "anti-constitution".
Vadra also alleged that RSS members had burned Ambedkar’s effigy and criticised him.
She said the BJP, being the offspring of the RSS, felt emboldened to "insult" Ambedkar and his Constitution.
"However, in 2024, the people taught the BJP a lesson, which was good because it scared Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After that, when he went to Parliament, he bowed before the Constitution. You made him do this," she said.
Noting that the BJP's priorities are not the country, the Constitution, democracy, or its people, she said Modi and Shah are "anti-Constitution" because their ideologies go against it and the diversity of the country.
"They are against the Constitution because their founder and ideology mocked the Constitution and the national flag, calling them foreign and inauspicious," Vadra said.
She also alleged that when the BJP came to power at the Centre, it constituted a Constitution Review Committee.
"The BJP is against the Constitution, reservation, and social justice. They want to weaken the judiciary and the RTI Act. They amended the SEBI Act to enable more corruption. They weakened the Lokpal Bill and the Election Commission of India," Vadra alleged.
She further stated that in BJP-ruled states, atrocities against women are high, as the party protects criminals rather than victims.
The Wayanad MP also said the BJP amended labour laws, stripping the working class of their rights.
She added that the BJP brought laws that would have broken the farmers' backbone.
"The farmers demonstrated, and 700 farmers died during the agitation. Then they (the BJP) backtracked just before the elections. All their policies are anti-constitution and will impact your day-to-day life," she told the crowd.
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BJP vows to return to power in 2028 in Karnataka, attacks Cong at executive committee meet
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leaders on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Congress government in Karnataka and exuded confidence that the party would return to power in the 2028 Assembly elections.
The opposition party in Karnataka also passed four resolutions at its state executive committee meeting at the Palace Grounds here. It includes rampant corruption in the state, misuse of government funds, growing drug menace, agrarian problem and the garbage crisis in Bengaluru.
The party also hailed the Centre for introducing Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The executive committee welcomed the Centre's decision to give respect to 'Vande Mataram' song.
Addressing the meeting, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra alleged there was "zero development" in the state and claimed discontent within the ruling party.
"Let us work day and night to restore the BJP’s past glory in Karnataka," Vijayendra said, adding, "A situation has arisen where even MLAs of the ruling party may revolt against the government."
He alleged that law and order had completely deteriorated under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state and referred to murders in Surathkal and Yellapur, claiming no compensation had been provided to the families of a Dalit woman in Yellapur and a Dalit man in Koppal.
He further alleged that Mysuru had become a narcotics hub and recalled the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl during Dasara in the Chief Minister’s home district.
Vijayendra urged party workers to gear up for a series of upcoming elections, including local body polls, GBA elections and Assembly bypolls, and called for grassroots mobilisation to highlight the failures of the Congress government.
Inaugurating the meeting, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, "This is not merely an organisational meeting but a meeting for introspection."
He described it as a gathering to strengthen the organisation and resolve to remove the corrupt government from power.
Expressing confidence about the party’s prospects, he said the BJP would form the government in Karnataka in 2028 with an overwhelming majority.
He criticised the Congress for the Emergency and alleged that the state had become "corrupt and financially bankrupt", referring to scandals, including MUDA. He also claimed there had been infighting over the Chief Minister’s post from the beginning and that public debt had risen sharply.
BJP National General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal said the party's victory in the 2028 Assembly elections was certain and objected to alleged attempts to curb RSS activities in the state.
He accused the government of favouring minorities over Scheduled Castes and termed it a "corrupt government".
Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who was felicitated for completing 50 years in active politics, called upon party workers to resolve to bring the BJP back to power "on our own strength" and to "uproot the corrupt Congress government".
Former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said it was Yediyurappa who had brought the BJP to power in Karnataka for the first time in South India and praised his role in strengthening the party.
Several senior leaders, including Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje and V Somanna, and other state leaders were present at the meeting.
