Congress under fire over 'blank' Constitution copies at Rahul event
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.
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.
Video also shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla
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.
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.
