Gehlot accuses BJP, RSS of plotting to alter Constitution

Time of India

14 hours ago

Jodhpur/Jaipur: In a sharp escalation of political wrangling, former chief minister
Ashok Gehlot
Friday accused
BJP
and
RSS
of harbouring a long-standing agenda to amend India's Constitution. His remarks came in response to controversial statements made by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who suggested changes to the Preamble.
Speaking in Jodhpur, Gehlot cited multiple
Supreme Court
judgments, including the landmark 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case, to emphasise the legal sanctity of the Constitution's Preamble. "This interpretation was further fortified in 1976 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who formally inserted the terms secular and socialist into the Preamble during the 42nd Constitutional Amendment," said Gehlot.
He highlighted how the apex court established that secularism and socialism were fundamental to the Constitution's basic structure in the Minerva Mills case, SR Bommai judgment (1994) and most recently in Balram Singh case (2024).
"The BJP-RSS ecosystem has consistently shown discomfort with the inclusive and pluralistic spirit of our Constitution," Gehlot stated on social media platform X. The ex-CM said Congress has demanded legal action against those "threatening the constitutional fabric" and has urged the judiciary to take suo motu notice of such statements.
The political discourse took an additional turn when Gehlot responded to current CM Bhajan Lal Sharma's criticism of Congress's role during the Emergency period (1975-77).
Gehlot acknowledged past mistakes, noting that Congress publicly expressed regret for the Emergency era. He pointed out that Indira Gandhi's subsequent electoral victory in 1980, securing 353 seats, demonstrated public forgiveness.
"During the Emergency, many people were imprisoned. When Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi, returned to power, we publicly acknowledged that there were many shortcomings and mistakes during that time (Emergency), and we expressed regret for these.
That chapter is closed now. What more do you want?" Gehlot said.
He added, "We were also imprisoned. Bhajan Lal Ji may not know this. The difference is that they went to jail during the Emergency and we went to jail in support of Indira Gandhi when she was expelled from Parliament despite winning the Chikmagalur election. Thousands of people across India were imprisoned in her support. I think about 2000 people from Jodhpur alone went to jail.
The atmosphere was different then."
Calling Sharma politically inexperienced, Gehlot said, "Bhajan Lal ji is new to this; he has become chief minister for the first time and he's a young first-time legislator, so he might not have all the information. We shouldn't mind what he says. He is Bhajan Lal ji, and Bhajan Lal ji also means someone who sings devotional songs, so he might not be aware of everything."