CALLING the Constitution ‘document of modern India,’ Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday said that the Constitution could never have been written without ancient India and ideas. Speaking during a discussion on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India, the LoP said that the Constitution contains a set of ideas from one philosophy of our nation. Rahul cited V D Savarkar’s remarks that there was nothing Indian about the Constitution and took a jibe at the BJP, saying that by talking of protecting the Constitution, the ruling party is “ridiculing” Savarkar. The Congress leader said, Savarkar, who is seen as an ideologue of the BJP and RSS, had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution, and that he preferred Hindu religious text ‘Manusmriti’ to it. Savarkar had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution and called Manusmriti a scripture “most worshipable” for Hindus after the Vedas, according to Gandhi.

 

“Nice that you say you are defending the Constitution, but I want to ask, do you stand by your leader’s words? Because when you speak about protecting the Constitution you are abusing, ridiculing Savarkar,” the Leader of Opposition told the BJP. He said a battle is taking place in India, and recited the story of ‘Eklavya’ who had sacrificed his thumb as a tribute to Guru Dronacharya. “When you give Dharavi to Adani, you chop off the thumb of the small and medium businesses there. You have fired tear gas shells on farmers outside Delhi, the farmers are asking for fair prices. You are cutting the thumb of that farmer,” he said. The Congress leader also talked about caste census, and supported removing the 50 percent cap on reservations.