Congress’s red Constitution books are blank, shows hatred towards Ambedkar: Modi

Nagpur/Mumbai: The Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi are pretending to protect the Constitution and are, in fact, totally against it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as he slammed the Opposition in two rallies in the politically significant Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of poll-bound Maharashtra.
Modi began his campaigning for the day at a massive rally in Akola in Vidarbha on Saturday afternoon, where he accused the Congress of repeatedly insulting the architect of the Constitution, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Later in the day, at a rally in Nanded, he alleged that the Congress and its members were flaunting copies of the Constitution with blank pages during their election campaigns in Maharashtra.
In an apparent reference to the pocket-sized edition of the Constitution with a red cover that Gandhi carries to his rallies, Modi said, “They are now showing a red book in the name of the Constitution. The cover says ‘Constitution of India’ but from inside it is blank. This shows their hatred towards Babasaheb. Printing a red book for the polls and removing the Constitution’s words is an example of the Congress’s mentality to end the Constitution.”
Also Read | In Maharashtra’s Akola, PM Modi accuses Congress of treating states as ‘ATMs’, pitches for ‘ek hain toh safe hain’
Modi’s remarks came days after Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis accused him of seeking votes from “urban Naxals and anarchists” by holding a “red book” during a rally in Nagpur on Wednesday.
Focusing on Gandhi, Modi said the Congress MP, who frequently brandishes the Constitution in meetings, is now advocating for the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was a position entirely at odds with Ambedkar’s vision. Article 370, which was scrapped in 2019, used to grant special status to Jammu & Kashmir.
Referring to the Congress’s support for a recent resolution in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly calling for the restoration of Article 370, Modi said it reflects the party’s disregard for the Constitution. For 75 years, he noted, India effectively operated under two constitutions: one in Jammu & Kashmir and another for the rest of the country. “The Congress wants to push Jammu & Kashmir back into violence by restoring Article 370. Article 370 will never be restored,” he said.
Also Read | PM Modi attacks Congress on caste in big Maharashtra blitz
Modi also repeated his claim from rallies on Friday that the Congress is creating rifts between different castes, adding that strengthening the Congress would lead to a weakened and helpless nation. “The Congress knows that the weaker the country, the stronger the party becomes. When the Congress grows stronger, the nation grows weaker. That’s why they pit different castes against each other,” he said.
The prime minister then accused the Congress of indulging in corruption, saying that wherever it formed a government, the state becomes an ATM for the party’s “shahi parivar” (royal family). “We won’t let Maharashtra become the ATM of Congress,” he said. “As much as ₹700 crore has been extorted from the liquor business in [Congress-ruled] Karnataka for the Maharashtra polls. Telangana and Himachal Pradesh have also become this shahi parivar’s ATMs,” he added.
Modi again accused the Congress of preventing unity among Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), alleging that the party encourages division to fragment their votes and diminish their collective power. “If you remain divided among your own castes, Congress will exploit this division to snatch away the rights of the SC community and establish its government at your expense,” he said.
Repeating his slogan from Friday, Modi urged voters to unite, saying, “Ek hain toh safe hai (We’re safe if we are united).” The catchphrase is an iteration of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan “batenge toh katenge” (if we are divided, we will be slaughtered).
Modi also marked the significance of the date, November 9, the day in 2019 when the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the Ram temple. “This date will also be remembered for the sensitivity shown by people of all religions following the Supreme Court’s decision. The spirit of putting the nation first is a great strength of India,” he said.
Later in the day, Modi addressed a rally in Nanded, where bypolls for the Lok Sabha constituency will also be held on November 20 along with the assembly elections. The Nanded parliamentary seat became vacant following the death of Congress MP Vasantrao Chavan on August 26.
At the rally, Modi claimed there was a strong wave of support for the Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra and called on voters in the state to repeat the results of the Haryana assembly elections last month, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recorded an unexpected and historic third straight win.
“There is a Mahayuti wave in Maharashtra. In the last two days, wherever I visited, people wanted to fill in the void left during the Lok Sabha polls. They want the Mahayuti government for viksit (developed) Maharashtra,” he said during a 50-minute address. “In the Haryana elections, BJP got the highest votes in history. Now, the people of Maharashtra are also going to repeat this history,” he added.