BJP insulted Ambedkar: Rahul Gandhi on Devendra Fadnavis' ‘red book’ remark

Condemning Fadnavis’s comments in a post on X, Gandhi accused the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader of insulting Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar

Mumbai: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday strongly criticised deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for accusing him of seeking votes from “urban Naxals and anarchists” by holding a “red book” in his hand during a rally in Nagpur on Wednesday. Fadnavis was referring to the pocket-sized edition of the Indian Constitution with a red and black cover that Gandhi carries to his rallies.

Nagpur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan, in Nagpur, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI11_06_2024_000247A) (PTI)

Condemning Fadnavis’s comments in a post on X, Gandhi accused the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader of insulting Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution. “According to Maharashtra’s former BJP chief minister, displaying Babasaheb’s Constitution and raising demands for a caste census is a ‘Naxalite thought’. This view of the BJP is an insult to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the son of Maharashtra and the architect of our Constitution,” Gandhi wrote.

The Rae Bareli MP also urged the people of Maharashtra to rally alongside the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the upcoming state elections against the ruling Mahayuti government.

“During the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Maharashtra fought for the Constitution and brought a significant victory to Maha Vikas Aghadi. The people of Maharashtra will not tolerate the BJP’s insult to Babasaheb. They will join forces with the Congress and the MVA to respond with full strength to protect our Constitution against any attack,” he wrote. The MVA won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the general elections earlier this year.

The Congress MP also asserted that any such “shameful attempts by the BJP” to stop his party from conducting a caste-based census in the country will fail. “Take it in writing. A caste census will be done,” he wrote.

During his visit to Nagpur on Wednesday, Gandhi carried an abridged version of the Constitution to an event where he once again advocated for a caste census. Fadnavis was asked by reporters to react to Gandhi’s comments on Thursday. The deputy CM said, “My allegations made two days back against Rahul Gandhi have proved true about his inclination towards urban Naxals. He showed the red book and tried seeking help [politically] from urban Naxals and anarchists. He was either giving them some warning or seeking their help. Rahul Gandhi indulges in such drama regularly. On a daily basis, he insults the Constitution in some or other way.”

Gandhi’s pocket-sized edition of the Constitution, which has become a symbol of the Opposition’s onslaught on the Narendra Modi government, is published by Lucknow-based Eastern Book Company. The company claimed to have sold thousands of copies of the book in the last few months.