Last update:07 November 2024, 17:19 IST

The row started when the Maharashtra BJP uploaded a video of white copies of the Constitution at the event in Nagpur led by Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ in Nagpur has created a furore between the BJP and the Congress. (PTI)

An intense war of words has erupted between the Maharashtra Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the latter accused the Congress of distributing “white copies of the Constitution” at an event chaired by Rahul Gandhi in Nagpur.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who was addressing the ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ in Nagpur on Wednesday, said he assured her that the Congress would not let the Constitution be damaged at any cost. He also had a slim red cover copy of the Constitution, which became the talk of the town.

Maharashtra BJP uploaded a video on platform X showing that the books with “Constitution of India” written on the cover had blank pages except for the preamble on the front. They also highlighted Rahul Gandhi’s red card at the event in Nagpur.

“Congress wants to erase the Constitution of India. They want to remove all laws and articles formulated by Dr BR Ambedkar. That is why Rahul Gandhi recently talked about abolishing reservations,” Maharashtra BJP said.

“Remember, the Constitution and respected Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar are not just electoral issues; they are the foundation of India and the life of every Indian. So people will teach a lesson to the unconstitutional Congress,” he added.

The Congress responded with fury, accusing him of being scared by Rahul Gandhi’s event in Nagpur and spreading a false narrative. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that a notepad was given to the dignitaries who participated in the ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ and making frivolous allegations showed a complete lack of information on the part of the BJP.

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Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Red Book’ at Nagpur event sparks

Less than two weeks before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the war of words between the two main parties has intensified, with the BJP trying to portray Rahul Gandhi as anti-reservations and anti-Constitution.

The red copy of the Indian Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi has become the subject of political battles in the polling state as it is often associated with Marxist or communist ideology.

“What message does Rahul Gandhi want to convey by showing a red copy of the Constitution of India?” Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis asked at a campaign rally in Sangli district as he accused the Congress leader of building a ” coalition of anarchists”. “.

“My allegations made two days ago against Rahul Gandhi have been proved true regarding his penchant for ‘urban naxals’. He showed the red card and tried to seek (political) help from urban naxals and anarchists. Gandhi has shown contempt for the Constitution of the country,” the BJP leader alleged.

In response, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said the BJP was shaken by Gandhi’s event “near its stronghold” in Nagpur. “Fadnavis in his nervousness is making false allegations to defame Rahul Gandhi. In Hinduism, red is considered auspicious, but the BJP considers it impure Those who oppose the Constitution have no right to decide whether a copy of the Constitution should be red, yellow or black. Are BJP and Fadnavis equating saving the Constitution with urban Naxalism? he said.

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“The same Constitution wants to be replaced”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also slammed Fadnavis for his remarks, saying the deputy CM is getting desperate. “This book that Mr. Fadnavis is opposing is the Constitution of India, the chief architect of which was Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. This is the same Constitution of India which RSS had attacked in November 1949 as not inspired by Manusmriti,” he added.

“It is the same Constitution of India that the non-biological prime minister wants replaced,” the Congress leader said. The party also stated that the BJP’s strategy is to “end the Constitution by making false allegations against those who saved the Constitution”.