Congress follows Indian Constitution, BJP’s book is Manusmriti: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that India faces a battle between constitutional values and those who prefer Manusmriti as the governing law as he cited Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s criticism of the Indian Constitution.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi shows copies of the Constitution and Manusmriti in Parliament on Saturday. (ANI)

Speaking as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Gandhi cited Savarkar as having said: “The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worshippable after Vedas for our Hindu nation and from which our ancient times have become the basis for our culture, customs, thought and practice” as he held up copies of both documents.

The reference to Savarkar was aimed at sharpening the attack on the Sangh ideology, but was also seen as being tricky for its alliance in Maharashtra, where the Congress, NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) were defeated in assembly polls last month. Savarkar is revered by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena.

Gandhi cited the Hindutva ideologue to draw a line between what he called two competing visions for India. “There is a battle taking place today in India. On this side, we have defenders of the idea of the Constitution. From each state we have one. From Tamil Nadu we have Periyar, from Maharashtra we have Jyotiba Phule, from Gujarat we have Gandhi,” he said, adding that while the BJP praises these figures “hesitatingly,” they actually want India “to be run the way it used to be run earlier.”

The Congress leader employed the Mahabharata’s story of Eklavya as a metaphor for what he described as the government’s assault on various sections of society. He alleged that through policies like the Agniveer scheme, promotion of “monopolies” for the Adani Group, and the treatment of Dharavi’s entrepreneurs, the Modi government had effectively “chopped off the thumb” of youth, backward classes, and the poor.

When questioned about Indira Gandhi’s stance on Savarkar, Gandhi revealed a personal conversation with his grandmother. “When I was young, I had asked about that. Indira Gandhi told me that while Gandhi and Nehru went to jail, Savarkar wrote a letter and asked for forgiveness and compromised with the British. That was Indira Gandhi’s position on Savarkar.”

Gandhi also cited specific instances to attack the BJP over social justice issues. He spoke about his visit to Hathras, where he met the family of an alleged gang-rape victim. “The culprits are roaming around and the girl’s family are confined at home. Where is it written in Constitution that the culprit will roam free? This is written in your book Manusmriti,” he charged.

Gandhi also brought up the recent violence in Sambhal, saying, “Five innocent people have been shot dead. Wherever you go, you trigger communal fight. Political equality, social and financial equality is over.”

The speech drew immediate pushback from the treasury benches. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju contested Gandhi’s characterisation of Indira Gandhi’s views on Savarkar, sharing documentary evidence where she had described him as “a remarkable son of India.”

A Congress leader, who asked not to be named, said that Gandhi’s political messaging on Savarkar’s mercy petitions had earlier irked Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar had at the time asked Gandhi to refrain from talking about Savarkar.