New Delhi [India], June 27 : Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Friday launched a sharp attack on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, alleging that his recent remarks reflected a "hidden agenda" to change the Constitution of India. Tiwari claimed the people had rejected this plan during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
His remark came after the General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who questioned the legitimacy of including the terms "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "The 2022 conspiracy 'Abki Baar 400 Paar,' which aimed to change Ambedkar's Constitution, was rejected by the people. Somewhere, that pain was expressed in Dattatreya Hosabale's words, revealing that hidden agenda."
He questioned whether the ruling ideology now intended to replace those values with the ideology of Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. "So, will Godse's principles be introduced after it is abolished? Will India's 140 crore people be denied the right to equality? Will a world be built only for the big players of capitalism?" he asked.
Tiwari further said the Constitution of India stood on the foundation of socialist and Gandhian principles, as reflected in its Directive Principles of State Policy.
The Congress MP also accused the BJP and its ideological allies of planning to end reservations and concentrate power in the hands of a few by changing the Constitution. "Change the Constitution today, end reservations tomorrow, and in that way, concentrate power in the hands of a few," Tiwari warned.
He praised the Indian electorate for resisting such moves, saying, "I congratulate the Indian people for rejecting this in 2024."
Tiwari reaffirmed his party's commitment to upholding the Constitution drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar and to continuing to fight for the rights of the people.
"The Congress party will continue fighting for Ambedkar's Constitution and the rights of the people," he told ANI.
e, Hosabale was addressing a programme on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre.
At the programme, he emphasised that the Emergency wasn't just a misuse of power, but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned and freedom of the press was suppressed. He said that those who imposed the Emergency and trampled the Constitution and democracy have never apologised. If they cannot apologise personally, they should do so on behalf of their ancestors.