BJP is pro-Manusmriti & anti-Constitution, beware, says CM Siddu

Pejavar seer's comment on Constitution draws Siddu, ministers’ ire

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and some of his Cabinet colleagues came down heavily on “people expressing a desire to change the Constitution”. He made the remarks on the sidelines of a programme commemorating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The CM singled out the seer of Pejavar Mutt in Udupi who reportedly said recently that he wanted a Constitution that honoured everyone and for that it should be changed.

“Those who are against the Constitution are saying like this,” Siddaramaiah told mediapersons. “Recently, Udupi Pejawar Mutt swami ji said that the Constitution must be changed. I don’t know. We are striving to make sure the Constitution should not be changed. The Constitution has undergone some 106 amendments and this is its 75th year. Probably, the world’s longest standing Constitution is that of India,” he added.

Priyank slams ‘pro-Manusmriti’ voices: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Priyank Kharge claimed those who wanted the constitution changed favoured Manusmriti. “I don’t know if the respected seer has understood the Constitution completely or not. Didn’t the Constitution come into being only after we abandoned Manusmriti? The Constitution gives opportunities to everyone, which includes me and you. Basavanna’s teachings of equality and equitable share found home in the Constitution. Is it wrong?” Kharge said. “The BJP and RSS are plotting to bring Manusmriti back. However, that is not possible.

This Constitution gives opportunities to everyone. If there are any shortcomings, amend it in the Parliament. No one opposes that. The problem is that those who favour Manusmriti can’t see the equality in it,” he added. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre added his voice to the chorus. “The Constitution gives equality and equal share to people of all castes, religions and linguistic groups. It gives them free speech and other freedoms. It doesn’t degrade anyone. We have a Constitution that honours everyone. We should understand it. There is no question of changing it,” he said.

“Those in the BJP say one thing in the morning, another in the afternoon and yet another in the evening. They say what is convenient to them but they’re not committed to any of it. The BJP is anti-Constitution and anti-democratic. Therefore, they are misusing constitutional institutions to repress the voice of the people,” he said of some BJP leaders supporting the seer’s statement.

CM flays BJP, RSS: Siddaramaiah also addressed a government Constitution Day programme at Ambedkar Bhavan and another at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru, labeling the BJP and its mentor, RSS pro-Manusmriti and anti-Constitution. “There are anti-Constitution forces in the country. We should be alert about this. Hindu Maha Sabha, Savarkar and Golwalkar also opposed this Constitution. BJP and its parent body also opposed the adoption of our Constitution,” he said, warning there are people who are trying to “bring Manusmriti back”.