On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) addressed remarks made by party MP Anantkumar Hegde, emphasizing that his statement suggesting the possibility of changing the Constitution does not align with the party's official stance. The BJP further asserted its intent to seek clarification from the Karnataka MP regarding his statement.
Earlier in the day, Hegde had asserted that amendments to the Constitution could be pursued if the BJP secured a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament as well as in various states. He contended that certain laws introduced by the Congress were designed to suppress Hindu society and insinuated that his party could alter these laws with a majority mandate.
The Congress party reacted vehemently to Hegde's comments, with party leader Rahul Gandhi characterizing the MP's statement as a revelation of the concealed intentions of Narendra Modi and his associated Sangh Parivar. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh echoed similar sentiments, denouncing Hegde's remarks as indicative of a covert agenda by the Modi-led BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to impose dictatorial measures.
Ramesh further emphasized that such recurrent assertions by the BJP-RSS constitute a direct assault on the foundational principles of India's Constitution, particularly the principles of Sovereignty, Socialism, Secularism, and Democracy championed by the framers of the Constitution.
This incident is not the first instance of Anantkumar Hegde advocating for changes to the Constitution. In 2017, as a Union Minister, Hegde sparked controversy by expressing the ruling BJP government's purported intent to alter the Constitution. He argued that while the term "secular" is enshrined in the Constitution, it is not immutable and subject to revision.
During the same speech, Hegde made disparaging remarks about "secularists," suggesting their ignorance regarding their lineage. Following considerable uproar and opposition disruption in parliamentary proceedings, Hegde eventually issued an apology in the Lok Sabha.
