In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks accusing him of flaunting a “blank Constitution,” Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, took aim at the Prime Minister, suggesting Modi may find the Constitution blank because he “has never read it.”
Speaking at a public rally in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar, which is currently in election season, Gandhi addressed the Prime Minister’s criticism head-on, stating, “The Prime Minister says I display an empty Constitution at public meetings. The Constitution seems empty to him because he’s never read it in his life.” Gandhi continued, emphasising the significance and depth of the Constitution, saying it is “not blank but filled with thoughts and ideas of thousands of years.”
“He has no idea what’s written inside this book; that’s why he says it’s empty,” Gandhi told the crowd. “He says Rahul Gandhi shows a red book. To us, the colour of the book doesn’t matter—what matters is what’s written inside. We are ready to give our lives for what it represents.”
Gandhi went on to underscore the deep roots of the Constitution, invoking the memory of leaders such as Birsa Munda, Mahatma Gandhi, and B. R. Ambedkar, whose ideas form its foundation. “I want to explain to the Prime Minister that this Constitution is not hollow. It carries thousands of years of thought. When you call it hollow, you disrespect those who fought for it. This fight is about protecting it.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had criticised the Congress party, accusing them of presenting a “Laal Kitab” (red book) of the Constitution that, he claimed, was “empty.” Modi described the incident as evidence of the Congress’s “disregard and hate” for B. R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution. He remarked, “In ‘farziwada’ (deceit), Congress has broken its own record. The ‘Laal Kitab’ they flaunted was empty. This foolish and unfortunate political act has shocked the nation.”
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