Training his guns on the Congress, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday said the grand old party has always chosen power over the Constitution whenever it had the option to choose between the two. He noted that India’s Constitution is not the product of one political ideology but a reflection of the nation’s broad civilisational values.

Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha marking the 75th anniversary of the Constitution’s adoption, Rajnath Singh said: ”I see that many Opposition leaders are moving around with a copy of the Constitution in their pocket. They have learnt this from childhood. They have seen the Constitution being kept in the pocket over generations in their family. But the BJP places the Constitution on its forehead.”

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The Defence Minister spoke on historical significance and the Constitution’s role in shaping the nation’s governance and global standing. “The Constitution of India not only serves to establish a system of governance but is also a ‘roadmap’ to restore India’s pride. It is also a ‘roadmap’ to give India its rightful place on the world stage,” he added.

Slamming the grand old party, Rajnath Singh said: ”Whenever the Congress had an opportunity to choose between Constitution and power, it has always favoured power.”

Flaying the Congress for attempting to attribute the creation of India’s Constitution solely to one particular political party, he emphasised that ” attempts were made to overlook the collective contributions of many individuals and the Constitution’s deep roots in India’s cultural and civilisational values.”

Attempts were made to portray the Constitution as a gift of a particular party, he noted.

He said the basic spirit of the Constitution was still intact despite the Congress efforts.

”Today, people of the same party (Congress) are using the Constitution for propaganda. People of the same party want to conduct a census on the basis of caste. You should bring a draft. A draft in which it is clear how much percentage of reservation will be given to which caste, this should also be disclosed… There have been many amendments in our Constitution over time. But the basic spirit of the Constitution is still intact. It will always remain intact and no matter how much effort the Congress makes, we will never let the basic character of the Constitution change,” he stated.

Further, he said, ”We had strongly opposed every attempt to hurt the basic character of the Constitution even during the dark days of the Emergency… When I was in jail, my mother passed away, I was not even given parole to perform the last rites….”

The debate on the Constitution assumes significance in the backdrop of the Opposition parties alleging threat to it with the saffron party’s rule at the Centre. The Opposition party, mainly the Congress, had held several campaigns across the country making the allegation.