‘Spell out contribution of RSS, Hindu Mahasabha to making of Constitution’

PTI New Delhi: DMK leader A Raja hit out at the BJP on Saturday, claiming that the ruling party would have changed the Constitution had the words “secular” and “socialist” not been added to the Preamble of the document during Emergency. Participating in a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Raja also dared the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to spell out the contribution of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu Mahasabha to the making of the Constitution. The former Union minister said democracy alone was assaulted when the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was imposed during Emergency, but under the BJP-led government, the basic structure of the Constitution, codified by the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda Bharti case, is under attack.

“Democracy alone was assaulted during MISA, but in your regime, entire six elements (spelt out in the Kesavananda Bharati case), namely democracy, secularism, rule of law, equality, federalism, judicial impartiality, everything has gone,” Raja said. When Union minister Pralhad Joshi pointed out that DMK founder M Karunanidhi was also arrested during Emergency, Raja countered, saying his party does have grievances with the Congress, but is sitting with it to uphold the Constitution. “We know the pain. Do not teach us lessons. In spite of that we are sitting here. Why? We have been injured, our party has been assaulted, but we think, we believe in the Constitution, nationality and the country is above everything for all of us.

That is why we are sitting with the Congress,” Raja said. The senior DMK leader said the Congress was a “silent spectator” when he and his party colleague, K Kanimozhi, were put in jail in the 2G case. “When we were arrested, Congress was in power. we never begged ,” Raja said.