Times News Network
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the Constitution was not the work of a single party, but a transformative document aligned with “civilisational values” bearing the imprint of the likes of Veer Savarkar, Madan Mohan Malviya and Bhagat Singh, who were not even members of the erstwhile Constituent Assembly, as well as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
“Some people consider our Constitution as colonial, while others say it has been borrowed. Some claim it is a gift from one party. The fact is it carries the legacy of our freedom struggle,” the BJP veteran said, setting the stage for a debate, which saw Congress fielding its MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who made her debut speech in Lok Sabha.
Attacking the Centre, Priyanka said it seemed PM Modi had not understood it is “Bharat ka Samvidhan” (Constitution of India) and not “Sangh ka Vidhan” (RSS’s manual).
“The PM touches his forehead to the Constitution, but when there are cries for justice from Sambhal, Hathras and Manipur, there is not a wrinkle on his forehead,” she said, alleging the BJP-led govt had made every effort to break the “suraksha kavach” (protective shield) of justice, unity and freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
On the first day of the two-day debate to mark the 75th anniversary of promulgation of the Constitution, Singh’s assertions were seen as an attempt to challenge any claim about Congress being the fount of the Constitution.
The proceedings took on a partisan dimension with treasury benches and opposition MPs trading barbs, with the combatants appearing to take up from where they had left off during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, which saw them fighting for the “best custodian of Constitution” title.
