New Delhi: The BJP is the protector of the Constitution in the “real sense” and the Narendra Modi government has implemented its provisions in “letter and spirit”, party president J P Nadda said on Tuesday as he accused the Congress of undermining the statute when it was in power.
“The Congress toppled the elected governments as many as 90 times. It left no stone unturned to attack the Constitution (during its rule). It tried to take control over the judiciary,” he said addressing an event organised at the BJP headquarters here to mark ‘Samvidhaan Diwas'. Nadda said that while the opposition party talks about protecting the Constitution and raises the issue of inequality, the Commission for Other Backward Classes was given constitutional status under the Modi government.
The practice of triple talaq was also ended in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, he said. “The women's reservation bill was brought in several years ago but no decision could be taken. We can say with pride that this bill was also passed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi during his second term,” he noted.
The BJP chief said that the 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections was also provided under the Modi government. The Constitution provides that all states are equal and an integral part of India but special provisions were made for Jammu and Kashmir during the Congress regime, he said. “From where did Article 370 come? What was stopping the abrogation of Article 35 A?” Nadda said.
Articles 370 and 35 A were abrogated under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. With the passage of an amendment bill in both Houses of Parliament, Jammu and Kashmir was made an integral part of India. “For the first time after 75 years, a Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has taken the oath of office under the Constitution of India,” he said.
The BJP chief said the Modi government has implemented the Constitution in “letter and spirit” and alleged that the Congress, on the contrary, made several attempts to hit at its spirit to serve its political interests whenever it was at the helm. Nadda said more than 1.36 lakh people were arrested during the Emergency imposed by the Congress.
“More than 75,000 people, who faced jail term for over two years to protect the Constitution, were those following our ideology… We are the protectors of the Constitution in the real sense. We have protected the Constitution,” he asserted. The BJP chief said November 26, the day the Constitution was adopted at the Central Hall of Parliament in 1949, was declared as ‘Samvidhan Diwas’ by the Modi government in 2015.
“The country took 65 years to decide that the day should be celebrated as Samvidhan Divas. This raises questions on the commitment and thinking of those who ruled the country for several years,” he said in an apparent reference to the Congress.
