Congress amended Constitution to retain power, tried to alter its basic structure, say BJP leaders

Govind Karjol, former Deputy Chief Minister and Chitradurga MP, and Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru MP, lashed out at the Congress for its ‘’false campaign’’ that the Narendra Modi government was trying to change the Constitution.

Govind Karjol, former Deputy Chief Minister and Chitradurga MP, and Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru MP, lashed out at the Congress for its ‘’false campaign’’ that the Narendra Modi government was trying to change the Constitution.

They were speaking at a discussion programme on the Kannada book Samvidhana Badalisiddhu Yaaru? (Who Changed the Constitution) authored by P. Vikas Kumar, here on Sunday.

In the event held under the auspices of Citizens for Social Justice, Mr. Karjol said while the Congress amended the Constitution 75 times, non-Congress governments amended it on 31 occasions. But the reasons for ushering in the amendments were important, said Mr. Karjol.

He pointed out that the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi introduced the 39th amendment which barred challenging the election of the Prime Minister and the Speaker in any court of law. This was to circumvent a Allahabad High Court judgment which had declared her election invalid, said Mr. Karjol.

Contrasting this with amendments introduced by the BJP, Mr. Karjol said Atal Bihari Vajpayee amended the Constitution to facilitate promotion for SC/STs officials by relaxing the criteria for qualification and it only underscored the BJP’s commitment for social justice.

Similarly, the Constitution was amended by the V.P. Singh government to extend the duration of reservation of seats for SC/STs candidates, Mr. Karjol added.

Taking on the Congress, Mr. Karjol alleged that the party led by its leaders, including the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, humiliated the architect of the Constitution B.R. Ambedkar and ensured his defeat in the elections. ‘’Besides, land was not given for a memorial after his death and the Bharat Ratna was announced, not by the Congress, but by the V.P. Singh government which was supported by the BJP,” he added.