Congress’ ‘Save the Constitution’ campaign LIVE UPDATES: Congress president Rahul Gandhi with leaders of opposition parties after meeting President Ram Nath Kovind. (Express Photo By Tashi Tobgyal)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, launched a nationwide campaign to safeguard the Constitution and protect the rights of Dalits and backward classes. The ‘Save the Constitution’ national campaign will run at the village level till April 14, 2019. Addressing Congress workers, Gandhi speaking at the Talkatora Stadium said, “the party will work for the people of India to protect them, their ideas and build their future. No matter how much effort BJP puts in we will not allow them to toxicate the Constitution.” He added that for the first time a government shut down the Parliament, when “occasionally its the opposition.”
The protest comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s order diluting the SC/ST Atrocities Act, which has triggered a massive outrage in the community leading to violent protests across the country.
In a statement, the Congress earlier said, "The BJP-RSS combine is set to dismantle the social security available for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections. The RSS ideology attacks the basic structure of the Indian Constitution." The campaign, which is being seen as an effort to reach out to the Dalit community ahead of the general elections 2019, would continue till April 14, 2019.
"Ever since the RSS-supported BJP came to power at the centre, the Indian Constitution has been under severe attack, in one form or the other thereby denying the marginalized sections of society their constitutional rights," the party said further in the statement.
Bihar CM Minister
Highlights
The Congress Party has yet again taken the only path it knows very well- of spreading hate and divisions in our society. Mr. Rahul Gandhi and his party should stop their theatrics and aggression at the earliest. It is becoming increasingly clear that their Modi hatred is fast turning into India hatred.
Our job is to listen to the people of India to protect them, their ideas and build their future. No matter how much effort BJP puts in we will not allow them, to toxicate the Constitution. They will see the power of Congress in 2019.
Congress made the global reputation of India in 70 years and PM Modi has hurt our image in just four years of his governance, we have to protect it: Rahul Gandhi
We will not allow the BJP and RSS even to touch the Constitution, and neither will the country in 2019, says Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi attacked the govt on the judiciary crisis and how the government is interfering in the functioning of the judicial system.
Earlier this government said Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao but now the only thing left is Beti Bachao. To rousing applause, he asks to save girls from whom, "From MLAs and MPs of BJP."
Modi ji has interest only in Modi Ji, says Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi adds that PM is only interested in becoming the Prime Minister of India.
Mocking PM Modi on his advice to his MPs and MLAs to not give masala to Press says he only wants the country to hear his Mann ki Baat.
Challenging PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi said that just give me 15 minutes for a debate with the PM and I will grill him on Rafael deal, Nirav Modi. Gandhi said Modi will not be able to speak.
"Congress and BR Ambedkar wrote and gave the Constitution to India. All the institutions, IIT, IIM, AIIMS all have been given to us by the Constitution, without it, nothing would have been possible. But today, people of RSS ideology are being placed in these institutions," said Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi, addressing the campaign launch, said that this government has no place for Dalit and backward class people in their hearts. The atrocities against backward class are increasing, and the person who sees manual scavengers getting spiritual happiness does not speak a word after all these incidents.
Rahul Gandhi, mocking PM Modi, quotes his statement from his book Karmyogi and says Modi thinks that a person from backward class who cleans toilets and gutters gets spiritual happiness. It's their (BJP) thinking, not Congress'.
Congress President at the national launch of 'Save the Constitution' program at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Congress Leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Sushil Shinde garland a photograph of Dr BR Ambedkar prior to the beginning of the Congress party's national launch of 'Save the Constitution' campaign in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
MPs of the ruling NDA had expressed two divergent views of the Supreme Court order on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. While Dalits MPs in the BJP have urged the party leadership and the government to take immediate steps to protect the rights of the community, many non-Dalit MPs had welcomed the ruling saying there had been many instances of the provisions of the Act being misused. READ HERE
The Supreme Court order on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act relies on a 2014 parliamentary panel report to state why it is feels necessary to include “safeguards” within the purview of the Act itself. The order refers to a point made in the report by the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill. The December 19, 2104, report of the panel, headed by BJP MP Ramesh Bais, notes that existing laws are insufficient to deal with cases of misuse and there have to be certain deterrents in the Atrocities Act itself. READ HERE
Over 1.44 lakh cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and 23,408 cases of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes came for trial before the judiciary in 2016, as per the last available data from the National Crime Records Bureau. Of this, only 10 per cent SC cases completed trial and later, just a fourth of this number ended in convictions. In case of STs, 12 per cent cases completed trial and a fifth of these ended in convictions. READ HERE
The perception that the Modi government is anti-Dalit is fast gaining ground — in an unprecedented move, five Dalit MPs from the BJP have written letters to the prime minister expressing their anguish on the marked deterioration in the condition of Dalits in the last four years.
"Constitutional institutions such as the RBI, Supreme Court, Election Commission and Planning Commission are all under threat. RBI was sidelined while deciding on demonetisation; the Planning Commission dismantled with the establishment of NITI Ayog that has no accountability; the voice of four Supreme Court senior Judges silenced and the Election Commission made to wait for Government’s approval to announce election schedule."
Congress is all set to launch a year-long campaign to engage people from dalit communities at the village level ahead of the 2019 general election. The campaign is being launched in the wake of dilution of the SC/ST Act.