A political confrontation took place in the Lok Sabha when Rahul Gandhi raised the name of VD Savarkar while debating the 75th anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution. The comments by the Congress leader resulted in strong objections from BJP colleagues and set up a new ideological confrontation between the two parties.
Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not presenting to the nation “ataba” but “ridiculing” Mr. Savarkar’s views by putting itself at the address. He pointed to Savarkar’s supposedly imprecise formulation that “there is nothing Indian” in the Constitution and that the glorification of the Hindu religious text Manusmriti after the Vedas was more “worshipping” than the Vedas themselves.
Rahul Gandhi claims that BJP is ridiculing VD Sarvarkar
“The Constitution is modern India but it draws inspiration from antiquity India,” Gandhi remarked. He questioned BJP leaders, asking if they agreed with Savarkar’s views. “If you claim that you safeguard the Constitution, then you are ridiculing Savarkar,” he went on to say.
The Congress president also drew upon the account of Eklavya to express present agonies in India and referred to it as a metaphorical image of a wider social war.
The BJP leaders swiftly retaliated. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared with X (formerly Twitter) a file in which Indira Gandhi labeled Savarkar as a “wonderful son of India. Posting the document, Rijiju stated, “This is for Rahul Gandhi Ji, as he spoke a wrong thing in Lok Sabha over Veer Savarkar, etc.“
BJP MP, Anurag Thakur, therefore criticisms Congress for its views pointing to an incident in which he quoted opposition MPs not able to give a count of the cover pages of the Constitution. Jagdambika Pal, for example, charged Rahul Gandhi with hypocrisy, saying, “Has he forgotten when, as a member of his own government, he tore a bill passed by the Manmohan Singh government, as chief of the PMO? That was an insult to the Constitution.”
The debate represents yet another divisive juncture between BJP and Congress, as they both remain at odds with each other over India’s basic principles and prominent historical personages.
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