On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made strong allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of "attacking" the Constitution. He declared that this was unacceptable to the Opposition-led INDIA bloc.
Speaking to reporters on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session, Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the Constitution is inviolable. Holding up a booklet of the Constitution, he underscored his commitment to its protection.
"The Prime Minister and Amit Shah are attacking the Constitution, and we cannot accept this. We will prevent it from happening. That’s why we held the Constitution while taking the oath. Our message is clear: no power can touch the Constitution of India," he asserted.
A video clip shared by ANI showed Rahul Gandhi explaining the significance of Congress and other Opposition members carrying copies of the Constitution to Parliament. "The attack that the PM and Amit Shah are launching on the Constitution is not acceptable to us, we will not let it happen," he stated.
Rahul Gandhi’s comments followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s critique of the Congress over the Emergency imposed in 1975, which he described as a "black spot" on democracy, during which "the Constitution was discarded."
The Emergency, declared on June 25, 1975, by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a prominent Congress leader, resulted in the suspension of civil liberties, imprisonment of opposition leaders and dissenters, and imposition of press censorship.
Earlier in the day, members of the INDIA bloc demonstrated their unity in the Parliament complex on the opening day of the 18th Lok Sabha session. They held copies of the Constitution and chanted slogans aimed at "saving democracy."
Prominent opposition figures, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and DMK's TR Baalu, gathered at the site where the statue of Mahatma Gandhi once stood. The statue, along with 14 others, had been recently relocated to a new area named Prerna Sthal.
Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi also participated in the demonstration. The MPs, clutching copies of the Constitution, raised slogans such as "Long live the Constitution," "we will save the Constitution," and "save our democracy."
