Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 29 : Holding a copy of the Constitution in one of his hands, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the BJP if returns to power will attempt to rewrite the Constitution and do away with the reservation, adding that the Congress party is striving to save the Constitution.
He also termed the Lok Sabha elections a fight between two ideologies.
At a public meeting in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur, Rahul Gandhi said, "These elections are not ordinary elections. There is a fight between ideologies. On one side, there is the Congress party, INDIA bloc and on the other side, there is the BJP. And the people who knew politics...And there are crores of people in Hindustan who know that this election is about saving the Constitution.".
"This election is about saving democracy, the Constitution, reservation and rights of the poor... Nothing will be left without the Constitution for the country's poor..."
"The BJP leaders, Prime Minister ji (Narendra Modi) and people in the RSS want to rewrite the Constitution. "On one side, they are attempting to rewrite the Constitution, while on the other hand, the Congress party is striving to save the Constitution," he said while holding a copy of the Constitution in one of his hands.
Elaborating on the importance of the Constitution, the former Congress President said, "This Constitution gives the poor their rights, protects them, looks after their future and secures their voice and way of life.".
The opposition leaders have been accusing the BJP of doing away with the reservation and attempting to rewrite the Constitution. The BJP has denied all the charges.
The incumbent MP further said, "The BJP wants to tear it (the Constitution) away. And let the 20-25 billionaires rule (the country) while the majority of people look on".
"Other leaders (BJP) are saying, that they will do away with the reservation. All your rights, including your right to vote, reservation, and others, stem from the Constitution, and in case the Constitution is done away with, I want to ask my Adivasi brothers that you Jal (water), Jungle (forests), zameen (earth), way of living, languages, they all will disappear".
He also claimed that many BJP leaders are saying that they will "rewrite" the Constitution once their government is formed after the general elections.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi while campaigning in Patan in Gujarat said, "90 IAS officers are running the government in Delhi. They distribute every rupee of the budget... Out of 90, only three are from the backward class. They are made to sit behind in a corner. They are given a small department. There is none in the finance ministry..."
Chhattisgarh has 11 Lok Sabha seats.
As per the Election Commission, Chhattisgarh recorded a voter turnout of 76.24 percent in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The polling was peaceful and 102 villages in Bastar division witnessed polling in Lok Sabha for the first time.
Voting in the remaining seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on May 7 in the third phase.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 9 of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while the Congress had to settle for just 2 seats.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held over a six-week marathon until June 1. The elections are being held in seven phases. Polling for the first and second phases has been completed.
Polling for the third phase will be held on May 7.
Lok Sabha polls are being held across seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.