Modi’s BJP accused of plotting constitutional changes if re-elected, faces criticism from Priyanka Gandhi

PTI, Apr 27, 2024, 3:54 PM IST

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday claimed that the ruling BJP’s top leadership may be pretending to be in denial mode now, but the party will change the Constitution if it returns to power.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over inflation, she called him a “mehengai” man.

“BJP leaders and candidates are saying that they will change the Constitution. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi is denying it. This is their tactic,” she said at a public rally at Dharampur village of tribal-dominated Valsad district held in support of Congress candidate for ST-reserved Valsad Lok Sabha seat, Anant Patel.

“First, they will always deny what they want to do. But after coming to power, they will implement it. They want to change the Constitution to weaken the common people and deprive them of their rights given in our Constitution,” said the Congress leader.

PM Modi enters the stage during elections like “Superman”, she said, asking people to remember him as a “mehengai (inflation)” man.

“BJP leaders project the prime minister as powerful and say that ‘chutki bajake ladai rukva dete hai (he can stop the war – Russia-Ukraine – with the snap of fingers)’. Then why is he unable to remove poverty just like that,” she asked.

The Congress leader claimed that the tribal population in Gujarat, which is Modi’s home state, and in the country is suffering due to issues like rising inflation, unemployment, low remuneration, loss of land, violence against women and other atrocities.

Highlighting the Congress’s manifesto, she said it addresses the issues faced by the tribal population. Their party will bring an MGNREGA-like scheme for urban areas where families will get 100 days of guaranteed work, she said.

She also said that the Congress is committed to filling about 30 lakh vacancies in government jobs, providing subsidised diesel to fishermen, taking minimum wage to Rs 400, working out “sub-plans” for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs), a special budget for tribals and declaring tribal-dominated areas as scheduled areas.

The Congress general secretary alleged that PM Modi reduced the price of LPG cylinders only due to the general elections, claiming he had no sympathy for the people.

She also responded to PM Modi’s relentless attack on Congress over “wealth redistribution”.

“He is now warning people that Congress will enter their houses with an X-ray machine to conduct a search, then snatch your ornaments as well as ‘mangalsutra’ kept in safes and give it away to others. Is that even possible? Is he doing this out of nervousness,” she asked.

PM Modi never talks about education, health or inflation, she said. “I don’t think people can tolerate this for five more years… He just organises mega events and roams across the world. Now, when people are asking for his report card, he is getting nervous. That’s why he is raising issues of Hindu-Muslim or being a Vishwaguru” Gandhi said.

She said such talks are meaningless if the PM can’t provide employment or drinking water to people and urged voters to compel him to apologise for his deeds whenever he visits Valsad.

“He is the first PM of our country who speaks lies in such a manner. He abused our entire family, be it my mother, grandmother, grandfather, brother (Rahul Gandhi) and my husband. But, we never cared. Let him say what he wants, she said, adding that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a “sabhya insan (civilised person)”. The BJP has fielded Dhaval Patel against Congress’ Anant Patel in the Valsad constituency. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in the third phase of general elections on May 7. BJP had clean-swept the state in the 2014 and 2019 polls.