‘The ruling party would have changed the Constitution had the words secular and socialist not been added to the Preamble of the document during the Emergency’
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – DMK leader A Raja accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making attempts to change the constitution and questioned the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu Mahasabha to the making of the constitution.
In his powerful speech in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, Raja hit out at the BJP and said: “Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the vice president of your party told the media that if you get more than 400 seats, you will change the Constitution and make the country a Hindu Rashtra.”
He asserted that the ruling party would have changed the Constitution had the words “secular” and “socialist” not been added to the Preamble of the document during the Emergency.
Participating in a debate on the Constitution, he also dared the BJP to spell out the contribution of the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha to the making of the Constitution.
The former Union minister said democracy alone was assaulted when the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was imposed during the Emergency, but under the BJP-led government, the basic structure of the Constitution, codified by the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda Bharti case, is under attack.
“Democracy alone was assaulted during MISA, but in your regime, entire six elements (spelled out in the Kesavananda Bharati case), namely democracy, secularism, rule of law, equality, federalism, judicial impartiality, everything has gone,” Raja said.
When Union Minister Prahlad Joshi pointed out that DMK founder M Karunanidhi was also arrested during the Emergency, Raja countered, saying his party does have grievances with the Congress, but is sitting with it to uphold the Constitution.
“We know the pain. Do not teach us lessons. Despite that, we are sitting here. Why? We have been injured, our party has been assaulted, but we think, we believe in the Constitution, nationality and the country is above everything for all of us. That is why we are sitting with the Congress,” Raja said.
The senior DMK leader said the Congress was a “silent spectator” when he and his party colleague, K Kanimozhi, were put in jail in the 2G case.
“When we were arrested, the Congress was in power. We never begged. When we were acquitted, you were in power. We never begged. We stand for what we are,” Raja said.
“I do not think (about) which side we are, but the cause we are standing here (opposition benches) for, that is the problem,” he added.
Certain remarks made by Raja triggered an uproar in the House and were objected to by minister Joshi and BJP member Nishikant Dubey. BJP member Jagadambika Pal, who was in the chair, said the remarks in question will not be part of parliamentary records.
