BJP slams Congress for distributing ‘blank’ Constitution copies at Rahul Gandhi event; Congress responds

The BJP has accused the Congress party of distributing “blank copies of the Constitution” at Rahul Gandhi’s Samvidhan Samman Sammelan convention in Nagpur.

BJP said that this act by Congress insulted the Constitution and Dr. B R Ambedkar, revealing an anti-reservation and anti-Constitution stance. A video shared by the Maharashtra BJP on social media showed books labelled as the "Constitution of India" on the cover but containing blank pages, apart from the preamble on the first page.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala slammed Congress, saying, “Insulting the Constitution and BR Ambedkar is the true identity of Congress. At their so-called Samvidhan Samman Sammelan, Congress distributed copies of the Constitution. The cover was red, instead of the usual blue.”

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He added, “Strangely, the inside of the copies was blank. This is an insult to the Constitution and a grave insult to Ambedkar. Congress has repeatedly insulted the Constitution and Ambedkar in this manner. They defeated Ambedkar in elections twice. Recently, Ambedkar’s picture was placed on the ground. Nehru spoke against reservations in 1961, and both Indira and Rajiv Gandhi opposed the Mandal Commission’s recommendations.”

In response, Congress accused the BJP of spreading a false narrative. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar clarified that attendees at the event were given a notebook and pen, not blank copies of the Constitution. Congress also posted on X, saying, “The whole of India knows that BJP and RSS are the enemies of the real Constitution, no matter how much they try to spread a false narrative by putting the cover of the Constitution on a blank book.”

The Congress further commented that the BJP aims to weaken the Constitution by making false allegations against its defenders, adding, “But under the leadership of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the Constitution-loving people of the country will never allow this cunning plan of BJP to succeed.”

Another point of criticism was the colour of the copy held by Rahul Gandhi. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised Gandhi for holding a “red book,” which he claimed symbolised an inclination towards “urban Naxals and anarchists.”

He said, “My allegations made two days back against Rahul Gandhi have proved true about his inclination towards ‘urban Naxals’. He showed the red book and tried seeking help politically from urban Naxals and anarchists. Rahul Gandhi indulges in such drama regularly and daily disrespects the Constitution in some or other way.”

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with the vote count set for November 23. In the previous elections, held in 2019, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP had secured 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.

(With inputs from agencies)