Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of being “supporters of Manusmriti” adding that “their supreme leader Savarkar always blamed the Indian Constitution”. Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the Congress leader said that while talking of protecting the Constitution, the ruling party is “ridiculing” Savarkar.
Drawing a parallel with the story of Eklavya who had to chop off his thumb as ‘Guru Dakshina’ to Dronacharya, Gandhi alleged that by creation of “monopolies” for the Adani Group in various sectors, bringing in the Agnipath scheme, firing teargas at protesting farmers, bringing in lateral entry and allowing paper leaks, the government was “chopping off” the thumb of the youth, tillers, backward class people and the poor.
Gandhi said that he wants to tell every poor person that the Constitution protects them, but the BJP keeps attacking it 24X7. He also reiterated his promise made on the floor of the House last session that a caste census will be conducted and the 50 per cent cap on reservation will be done away with to usher in a “new type of development” in the country.
“I want to start my speech by quoting your supreme leader Savarkar and his ideas on the Constitution of India and how he thought India should be run. He says, ‘The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is that scripture that is most worshippable after the Vedas, and which, from ancient times, had begun the basis of our culture, customs, thought, and practice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Today, Manusmriti is law’,” Gandhi said.
‘“Savarkar has clearly stated in his writings that there is nothing Indian about the Constitution and that the book that India is run by should be superseded by the Manusmriti,” Gandhi said, “adding that this is what the fight is about. “It is nice that all of you are so-called defending the Constitution. But I want to ask you, do you stand by your leader’s words? Do you support your leader’s words? But when you speak about defending the Constitution, you are ridiculing Savarkar, you are abusing Savarkar, you are defaming Savarkar,” Gandhi said.
Countering Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Savarkar, the BJP and its ally, Shiv Sena, reminded the Congress leader that his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had hailed the Hindutva ideologue as a “remarkable son of India” and issued a postage stamp in his honour. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde wondered whether Indira Gandhi was also anti-Constitution as she had praised Savarkar as a “remarkable son of India”.
He read out a letter written by Indira Gandhi to Pandit Bakhle of the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak on the occasion of the freedom fighter’s birth centenary celebrations. “Was your grandmother also anti-Constitution? You have the habit of speaking nonsense about Savarkarji.... But we revere Savarkarji, we are proud of him,” Shinde said.
The House witnessed tumultuous scenes when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought to respond to Shinde’s remarks, but was disallowed by the Chair.
“I had asked this question to Indira Gandhi when I was younger. Indira Gandhi said Savarkarji compromised with the British, wrote a letter to the British and asked for forgiveness from the British,” he said. “Indira Gandhi said (Mahatma) Gandhiji went to jail, (Jawaharlal) Nehruji went to jail and Savarkarji sought forgiveness. This was the position of Indira Gandhi,” he said.
He narrated the story of Eklavya from the epic Mahabharta and said that just like Dronacharya got Eklavya’s thumb cut, this government is chopping off the thumb of the country. When this Government hands over the country’s assets to Adani, then the thumbs of small and big industries and businessmen of this country are cut, he said.
Referring to his visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, Gandhi said he met the family of the woman who was allegedly gangraped and killed. He said the victim’s family is locked in the house, while the accused roam free. “Where is this written in the Constitution that the family of the person raped be confined to a house. This would be written in your (BJP) book not in the Constitution,” he said. The INDIA Bloc will facilitate the relocation of the family if the government does not do it, he added.
Gandhi also referred to the Sambhal violence, saying five innocent people lost their lives. He accused the BJP of spreading division in the society. The ideology of the INDIA bloc has brought the Constitution to the country and “we all together protect the Constitution”, he said. Quoting BR Ambedkar, Gandhi said, “If there is political equality but no social and economic equality, political equality will be destroyed.”
“These are the words of Ambedkar ji and today it is clear that political equality has ended. There is no social equality and there is no economic equality either. That is why our next step will be caste census. We want to show the country whose thumbs have you cut? We want to show the Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, farmers, labourers whose thumbs have been cut off by the Government?” he said.