NEW DELHI: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for accusing Rahul Gandhi of flaunting copies of the red Constitution with "blank pages" during his election campaign. Kharge also criticised the BJP’s attempt to equate the "red book" of the Constitution with "urban Naxalism" and pointed out that the Prime Minister had given a similar copy to then-President Ram Nath Kovind in 2017.
The red color pocket-sized copy of the Indian Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi to recent rallies in poll-bound states is at the center of a verbal duel, with the BJP accusing Congress of seeking support from 'urban Naxals,' while Congress accuses the BJP of 'insulting' the Constitution.
''Modi claimed that this red book is an 'urban Naxalite' book and a piece of Marxist literature. Then, even he gave a similar copy to then President Ram Nath Kovind on July 26, 2017,'' Kharge said showing a picture.
''It is necessary to enroll him in a primary school again,'' Kharge said hitting out at the prime minister.
Further, Kharge said the red handbook was only used for reference and it was not the entire Constitution.
This comes after PM Modi attacked the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for "exploiting" the Constitution, calling their use of the “Laal Kitab” a “political farziwada” (fraud).
“The Laal Kitab of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting contained 'nothing.' It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’s mentality to end the Constitution,” PM Modi said at a rally in Maharashtra on Saturday.
Kharge, who also released the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) poll manifesto, pledged to introduce a caste census in Maharashtra if the opposition alliance MVA is elected in the upcoming Assembly polls.
"We will conduct a caste census in Maharashtra and increase the ceiling on reservations beyond the current 50 percent, similar to Tamil Nadu. This census is not aimed at dividing people, but to understand the status of various communities, ensuring they receive more benefits," he said.
On Saturday, Kharge questioned PM Modi's intentions toward the Constitution, claiming the prime minister would have sought changes if given a stronger mandate.
“If Narendra Modi had the majority, who knows how many changes he would have made to the Constitution,” he said, adding, “Modi Ji stands on two legs, and both are artificial. One leg is TDP, and the other is JDU. If those two legs are removed, Modi Ji will not even be able to walk; he will have to sit down. If anything happens to the Constitution, RSS and Modi Ji will be responsible because their ideology says so.”
"This is the Constitution; it has everything inside it. He (PM Modi) said the pages of this red book, which Rahul Gandhi reads, are blank. He said it is 'kora kaagaz'...Read this; is it blank? I would request Nitin Raut to send a copy of this book to him. Sahab ismein sab likha hua hai (Sir, everything is written in it)," he added.
The red color pocket-sized copy of the Indian Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi to recent rallies in poll-bound states is at the center of a verbal duel, with the BJP accusing Congress of seeking support from 'urban Naxals,' while Congress accuses the BJP of 'insulting' the Constitution.
''Modi claimed that this red book is an 'urban Naxalite' book and a piece of Marxist literature. Then, even he gave a similar copy to then President Ram Nath Kovind on July 26, 2017,'' Kharge said showing a picture.
''It is necessary to enroll him in a primary school again,'' Kharge said hitting out at the prime minister.
Further, Kharge said the red handbook was only used for reference and it was not the entire Constitution.
This comes after PM Modi attacked the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for "exploiting" the Constitution, calling their use of the “Laal Kitab” a “political farziwada” (fraud).
“The Laal Kitab of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting contained 'nothing.' It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’s mentality to end the Constitution,” PM Modi said at a rally in Maharashtra on Saturday.
Kharge, who also released the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) poll manifesto, pledged to introduce a caste census in Maharashtra if the opposition alliance MVA is elected in the upcoming Assembly polls.
"We will conduct a caste census in Maharashtra and increase the ceiling on reservations beyond the current 50 percent, similar to Tamil Nadu. This census is not aimed at dividing people, but to understand the status of various communities, ensuring they receive more benefits," he said.
On Saturday, Kharge questioned PM Modi's intentions toward the Constitution, claiming the prime minister would have sought changes if given a stronger mandate.
“If Narendra Modi had the majority, who knows how many changes he would have made to the Constitution,” he said, adding, “Modi Ji stands on two legs, and both are artificial. One leg is TDP, and the other is JDU. If those two legs are removed, Modi Ji will not even be able to walk; he will have to sit down. If anything happens to the Constitution, RSS and Modi Ji will be responsible because their ideology says so.”
"This is the Constitution; it has everything inside it. He (PM Modi) said the pages of this red book, which Rahul Gandhi reads, are blank. He said it is 'kora kaagaz'...Read this; is it blank? I would request Nitin Raut to send a copy of this book to him. Sahab ismein sab likha hua hai (Sir, everything is written in it)," he added.
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