‘Sahab, ismein sab kuch likha hai’: Kharge slams Modi’s ’empty constitution’ comments, urges Congress to send PM a copy | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of Congress’s adherence to the Constitution and urged his party candidate Nitin Raut to send a copy of the text to Prime Minister Modi. In a fiery speech in Nagpur, Kharge refuted Modi’s claim that the Congress Constitution’s “Laal Kitab” (red book) is “empty”, calling the statement a “disparagement to the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
“This is the Constitution; it has everything in it,” Kharge said, holding up a copy for the audience. “He [PM Modi] said that the pages of this red book that Rahul Gandhi is reading are blank. He called it ‘kora kaagaz’ (blank paper)… Read this; is it empty? Sahab, everything is written in it,” Kharge claimed, calling on Raut to deliver a copy directly to Modi.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi criticized the Congress for exploiting the Constitution and called the use of the “Laal Kitab” a “political farziwada” (fraud). “In ‘farziwada’, Congress has broken its own record,” Modi noted. “The Laal Kitab of the Constitution that the Congress Party flaunted contained ‘nothing’. It was an empty book. This is nothing but a proof of Congress’ contempt and hatred for Baba Saheb Ambedkar.”
Kharge further accused the BJP of only recently recognizing Ambedkar’s role in Indian history. “They used to say that Babasaheb’s constitution was not good for them and should instead be based on ‘Manusmriti’. Today, Modi Ji comes to Nagpur and pays tribute to Babasaheb’s photo. I want to ask BJP supporters why there was no picture of Ambedkar in their offices earlier.”
Kharge also questioned Prime Minister Modi’s intentions on the Constitution, claiming that the Prime Minister would have sought changes had he been given a stronger mandate. “If Narendra Modi had the majority, who knows how many changes he would have made in the Constitution,” he said, adding, “Modi Ji stands on two legs, and both are artificial. One leg is TDP and the other is JDU. If those two legs are removed, Modi Ji will not even be able to walk; he will have to sit down. If anything happens to the Constitution, RSS and Modi Ji will be responsible because their ideology says so.”
Kharge highlighted the work of Congress in Congress-ruled states and defended the party’s promises. “Modi Ji says all Congress assurances are lies. If so, tell us what a lie is. We have honored the guarantees in Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh,” he said, citing the funds set aside in the Karnataka budget. “In Karnataka, we have allocated Rs 9,657 crore for the Greh Laxmi Yojana, of which Rs 5,164 crore have been spent. For the Shakti programme, which provides free bus travel for women, a budget of Rs 5,000 crore has been fixed, of which Rs 2,708 crore has already been utilised,” Kharge said, contradicting the allegations of empty promises.