Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hit back at the opposition INDIA bloc for saying the Constitution would be changed if the NDA returns to power for the third term. The Prime Minister called it an old narrative, which he said was also used against former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee.
"The INDI alliance and its people are spreading lies that if Modi is voted to power the third time, it will lead to the endangering of democracy and the constitution," he said while addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Ramtek. "This is not a new narrative. I have witnessed them using the same tactics since I joined politics. They have used this strategy before when Atal ji's government was formed. It is evident that they lack original ideas."
The opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi have been claiming that if Modi returns to power for another term, the BJP government will change the Constitution. Last month, Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Modi and said his "silence" on the remark made by Anantkumar Hegde, BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, was "dangerous".
Hegde had said that the Constitution could be amended to undo all the "anti-Hindu" changes that were made to it during the Congress regime. Addressing a public gathering, Hegde said the amendment could happen if the BJP has a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament and the states.
The former Congress chief said Hegde's statement was a "public declaration of the hidden intentions of Narendra Modi and his 'Sangh Parivar'".
Apart from Gandhi, political economist and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's husband Parakala Prabhakar also made similar accusations and said if PM Modi returns for another term, there won't be any election in the country. He also claimed that the NDA government would change the Constitution and the map of the country in its third term.
Prime Minister Modi today rejected these charges and said his government was working for the poor. He said the BJP's mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is the true spirit of the Constitution. But the family-oriented parties, he added, have always insulted this spirit of the Constitution. "By speaking the lie of social justice, these people kept promoting their own families."
Modi also blasted Congress for opposing the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). He said the CAA accords citizenship because the biggest beneficiaries of it are Dalits. "No matter how much they oppose it, every eligible person will get citizenship under the CAA. This is Modi's guarantee!" he added.
"Dynastic parties always served the interests of their own families. During their rule, SC, ST, and OBC families were deprived of basic needs for decades. Modi worked for the poor. True social justice is when Modi gives the guarantee of the benefits of the welfare schemes to the people. This is what true Secularism is because it has no room for discrimination. The beneficiaries aren't left out, and 100% of the people get what is due to them," he added.
The BJP has dropped Anant Hegde from Uttara Kannada and fielded Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri.