Congress under fire over 'blank' Constitution copies at Rahul event
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress party of distributing blank copies of the Indian Constitution at a Rahul Gandhi-led event in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The row began after a video emerged of books titled "Constitution of India" with just the preamble printed and the rest of the pages blank. The Maharashtra BJP posted the video on social media, where it went viral.
Counter-claim
Congress refutes allegations of distributing blank Constitution copies
Refuting the BJP's allegations, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that those who attended were given a notebook and pen, not blank copies of the Constitution. The BJP has since used the incident to attack Gandhi and the Congress party, accusing them of being anti-reservation and anti-Constitution. They alleged that Congress wants to erase laws written by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Twitter Post
Video also shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla
This said Constitution copy was distributed at Rahul Gandhi's rally / meeting
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) November 7, 2024
It turns out to be as blank as Congress’ guarantees
Justice like Nakli Gandhi this is Nakli
It is an insult to Sanvidhan and Babasaheb Ambedkar by Congress
They will be punished for this by people pic.twitter.com/Su3HMYXOoM
Red book controversy
Fadnavis criticizes Gandhi's 'red book,' suggests support for 'urban Naxals'
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also slammed Gandhi for carrying a "red book," implying it was a sign of support for "urban Naxals and anarchists." He said, "Rahul Gandhi indulges in such drama regularly," accusing him of disrespecting the Constitution. In defense, Congress's Jairam Ramesh came to Gandhi's rescue, claiming the red book was, in fact, a copy of the Indian Constitution.
Defense and criticism
Ramesh defends Gandhi, criticizes Fadnavis's remarks
Ramesh slammed Fadnavis for his comments and posted pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah holding the same red-bound copies of the Constitution. The usage of the term "urban Naxal" by Fadnavis was also questioned by Ramesh, who noted that the term isn't used officially by the Union Home Ministry. "Fadnavis should know that it carries a Foreword by one of India's most distinguished legal personalities, K.K. Venugopal, who was Attorney General...during 2017-2022," he wrote.