Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari went to an election meeting in Mann tehsil of Satara district of western Maharashtra on Friday (May 3). During this rally, he fiercely attacked Congress. Nitin Gadkari said that Congress is claiming that the Constitution will change if BJP comes to power. Let me tell you that the main features of the Constitution of India like secularism and fundamental rights cannot be changed by any party, leader or even Parliament.
Nitin Gadkari further said that when the opposition party was in power, it had amended the Constitution several times. Congress is propagating that BJP is planning to change the Constitution of India written by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, but the Constitution cannot be changed. Referring to the famous ‘Basic Structure’ principle underlined by the 1973 Kesavananda Bharti judgment, Gadkari said the Supreme Court has ruled that the core features of the Constitution are freedom of speech, fundamental rights, democracy, secularism without any interference by any leader, party or Parliament. Cannot be changed.
‘Amendments were made 80 times in the past’
Gadkari said that in the past, Part II of the Constitution had been amended 80 times and during the Emergency, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had distorted the Constitution. While targeting the Congress in Latur, the Union Minister said that ‘Neither on caste nor on matter, Indira Gandhi’s words will be stamped, Pandit Nehru said remove poverty, Indira Gandhi said remove poverty, Rajiv Gandhi said remove poverty. Then Sonia Gandhi came and said remove poverty, Rahul Gandhi came and said remove poverty but whose poverty was removed?
He further said, ‘That’s why I say that poverty has not been removed from anyone, poverty has been removed from some specific people. Some go to engineering college, the rest to medical, the rest to D.ED college, some to primary school, half of the teacher’s salary goes to you and half to us and as soon as Baba Saheb Ambedkar comes to you, he starts doing it.