Mhow: The country's democratic and pluralistic traditions face a "triple threat", the Congress said on Sunday and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of flouting the values anchoring the Preamble to the Constitution. The Congress will hold its 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally in this Madhya Pradesh town, the birthplace of BR Ambedkar, on Monday as it aims to boost its social justice narrative and corner the BJP over alleged insult of the Constitution's chief architect.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, among other senior leaders, are set to attend the rally.
Rahul Gandhi, who has been unwell for the past few days and could not participate in the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally in Karnataka's Belagavi last week as well as in campaigning for the Delhi Assembly polls, along with Kharge, will address the rally that marks the end of the first phase of the party's 13-month campaign to take the issues of Ambedkar's "insult" and "attack on the Constitution" to every corner of the country.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communication Ramesh said the Congress would organise the second of its 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rallies in Mhow, the "janmabhoomi" of Ambedkar. "Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy are under attack from the ideology that bitterly opposed him all his life and that provided inspiration to his killers. Today, BJP MPs are not sure whether to choose Gandhi over Godse or not. Godse is being openly glorified," he said.
"The Union home minister, meanwhile, mocks Dr Ambedkar in Parliament. This only mirrors the RSS's attitude to the Constitution of India -- which it rejects because it believes that the Constitution is not derived from the ideals of Manu," he added. Finally, the prime minister flouts the values on which the Constitution's Preamble is anchored, subverts constitutional institutions, and damages constitutional processes and practices, Ramesh alleged.
It is a "triple threat" that the country's democratic and pluralistic traditions face, he added. That is why the Congress held its first 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally in Belagavi on January 21, Ramesh said, adding that the movement would continue after the assembly in Mhow. The Congress has been attempting to strengthen its social justice plank and alleging that the Constitution is under assault.
Ramesh has been demanding that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat must apologise for the "anti-national statement he delivered on the freedom movement". He has claimed that Mahatma Gandhi was being "insulted" and Ambedkar being "attacked". Ramesh has called for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation and for him to tender an apology for his remarks in Parliament on the opposition taking Ambedkar's name.
The senior Congress leader has described Bhagwat's remarks that India's "true independence" was established on the day of the Ram temple's consecration as "anti-national" and demanded an apology over the statement. The Congress has repeatedly alleged that Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on the Constitution during the Winter Session in December showed that the BJP and the RSS leaders had a "lot of hatred" for Ambedkar and demanded an apology from him.
The Mhow rally will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Constitution's adoption and the founding of India's republic as well as the purported attack on Ambedkar's legacy by the ruling regime, a party circular had said. In the next phase of the campaign, which will continue till next year's Republic Day, the Congress will hold 'Samvidhan Bachao Rashtriya Pad Yatras'.
During these marches, issues such as "Adani, attack on the Constitution, growing inequalities and price rise", among others, will be raised. The Congress has been making a strong push to make social justice its central plank, with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly talking about the Congress' demand of a nationwide caste census and removing the 50 per cent cap on reservation.
At a rally in Delhi earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi had promised that the Congress would conduct a caste survey if it was elected to power in the national capital. The Congress is clear in its politics that everyone in the country is equal, he had said and exuded confidence that "love will triumph over hatred".
He had said the Congress would not let "billionaires like Adani and Ambani control everything while the poor keep suffering".
