Congress destroyed democratic norms, alleges BJP leader

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh and Vikas Kumar P., author of ‘Who Changed the Constitution?’, in Mangaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Calling the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ‘dictator in-chief’ for imposing Emergency and overthrowing State governments, the National General Secretary (organisation) of BJP B.L. Santosh alleged in Mangaluru on Saturday, that the ‘Congress destroyed democratic norms’ in the country.

He was addressing a gathering after releasing the Kannada book ‘Samvidhana Badalayisiddu Yaru’ authored by P. Vikas Kumar under the auspices of Citizens for Social Justice, Mangaluru.

Mr. Santosh alleged that the Congress never tried to get justice for the deprived sections of society. He said that there was stark contrast in the way Congress treated the architect of the Constitution B.R. Ambedkar and now how it used his name and the Constitution as tools not only to win some elections but to spread its negative narratives.

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh releasing the book ‘Who Changed the Constitution?’ by Vikas Kumar P., in Mangaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
H.S. MANJUNATH

The BJP leader charged that the Congress did everything possible to ensure that Ambedkar was not included in the committee formed to draft the Constitution. But the party could not succeed.

‘Nehru campaigned against Ambedkar twice’

When Ambedkar contested the 1952 Parliamentary elections from Bombay North Central, Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru campaigned against Ambedkar twice. “Imagine then the country did not have transport connectivity like now. But Nehru went to then Bombay not once but twice to campaign against Ambedkar,” Mr. Santosh said alleging that the Congress ensured that Ambedkar was defeated in the election.

Earlier the Congress made every effort to ensure that Ambedkar was not elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946, but could not succeed, he alleged.

Mr. Santosh alleged that the Congress did not allow the family of Ambedkar to cremate his body in Delhi when he passed away. The family had to take his body to Mumbai for cremation. His wife was made to leave the house in Delhi within six months of Ambedkar’s death.

The BJP leader said that Ambedkar was conferred Bharat Ratna only in 1990. “But before that Nehru and Indira Gandhi ensured that they got Bharat Ratna themselves,” he said.

106 amendments

Mr. Santosh said that the Constitution has been amended 106 times. In that, the Constitution underwent amendments 75 times under the Congress rule. It was amended 22 times under the BJP rule.

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress misused Article 356 to overthrow State governments 90 times. Indira Gandhi alone dismissed 50 State governments, he charged.

P. Rajeev, Karnataka State General Secretary of the BJP, said that it was the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee which restored the anti-democratic Constitutional amendments, such as 38th and 39th, done during the Congress period, through the 44th amendment.