In her first-ever speech in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP of attacking the very shield the Constitution provides to the people of India.
Calling it a “suraksha kavach” (protection shield), she said the Constitution empowers citizens to demand justice and stand up to the government. However, she claimed that the ruling party is attempting to break that shield.
“The Constitution gives people strength to recognise they have right to justice and are capable of raising their voice against the government. Our Constitution is a suraksha kavach protecting the people. However, sadly, the ruling party has made all attempts to break that shield,” Priyanka said, urging the nation to preserve the fundamental principles that protect the people.
“This government is working to weaken the reservation policy through lateral entry and privatisation. Had the Lok Sabha election results not come as they have, the government would have started the work on changing the Constitution,” Gandhi added.
The Lok Sabha member from Wayanad stated that the truth was the ruling party was chanting ‘Constitution’ because they had realized that the people of the country would keep the Constitution alive.
Day 1 of the ongoing Constitution debate saw Union Minister Rajnath Singh open the discussion, hitting back at the Congress. Singh accused the opposition party of disrespecting the Constitution and attempting to undermine the autonomy and independence of institutions.
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“On many occasions, the Congress has disrespected the Constitution and its spirit. It could not tolerate the independence and autonomy of institutions. It always tried to destroy the basic principles of the Constitution,” he alleged.
Singh also slammed opposition leaders for invoking the Constitution, calling it “inappropriate” given their party’s history. “These days, I see many opposition leaders keep the Constitution in their pockets. Actually, this is what they have learnt from childhood, they have seen their families keep the Constitution in their pockets for generations,” he remarked.
Singh also praised the Constitution as a reflection of the collective will of the people, touching on every aspect of life—social, economic, political, and cultural—and providing a roadmap for India’s growth. He acknowledged the contributions of figures like Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, and Veer Savarkar, who, despite not being part of the Constituent Assembly, played an important role in shaping the country’s foundational document.