Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that democracy would not survive if those who intended to change the Constitution were not removed from power.
“Being in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ananthkumar Hegde had said that they had come to power to change the Constitution,” he said, during the valedictory function of the two-day convention on Constitution and National Unity, here on Sunday.
The event had been organised by the State Social Welfare Department to mark 75 years of the adoption of the Indian Constitution.
“Nobody, including Mr. Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP or the RSS had condemned the statement. The BJP and RSS had made Mr. Hegde speak about their agenda. The people of this country must be aware of this,” he said, adding that the BJP had not only opposed the Constitution from the beginning but also did not respect it.
Changes in the constitution, he said, will push back working class, farmers, women and those working for the rights in the country into slavery as their identity is now attached with the constitution. “Remember how the shudras, workers and Dalit were treated before the constitution. Efforts are being made to create confusion,” he added.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the government at the Centre did not function by respecting the Constitution. “There are many who are attempting to change the Constitution and misguide people by propagating their own ideology. Some are attempting to bring a rift amongst us. They are putting Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar against each other. There are efforts to end this Constitution,” he warned.
Attacks PM
Stating that there was a threat of dictatorship in the country if there was no unity in the coming elections, he said: “Democratically elected governments are removed by threat of ED. This is hurting the Constitution and democracy. If the same continues, dictatorship will come. Do you want dictatorship or want to live by justice?” he asked.
He said: “While Ambedkar had urged people to fight for Constitution till their last drop of their blood, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sucking blood by not providing water, food, and education to people.” Where intelligent and knowledgeable people were found, in such countries democracy had survived, he added.
Taking exception to “Modi’s guarantee” slogans, Mr. Kharge asked: “What is your guarantee? This is the work of the government and it should be either government’s guarantee or BJP government’s guarantee. When money is ours and taxes are ours, how can it be his guarantee? He is always about himself.”
In the light of this, he said, it was important to create awareness about the Constitution in every household. “It is the Constitution that brought humanity in us. If the Constitution survives, the unity and integrity of the country will be intact. People will live happily if democracy survives. All of you should be careful. Otherwise, we will go back by 5,000 years.
As many as 40 leaders, including former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah and CPI (M) leader Sitharam Yechury, from 12 political parties across 18 States took part in the event.
Experience centre
An experience centre had been set up at the convention venue to create awareness about the Constitution, the Preamable, the Constituent Assembly, and the evolution of the Indian Constitution. The centre had a copy of the Constitution with signatures of all the original signatories. An AI-generated film was also screened. The film elaborated on what Jawaharlal Nehru described in his speech on Tryst with Destiny.
