Maharashtra polls | 'Red book' at Rahul Gandhi's Nagpur event sparks political slugfest

The colour of the copy of the Indian Constitution carried by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during a recent event in Nagpur has triggered a political slugfest in poll-bound Maharashtra with the BJP seeking to know what message he wanted to give.

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday campaigned for the MVA alliance in the state where Assembly elections will be held on November 20. He carried a slim copy of the Constitution with a red cover at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan convention in Nagpur.

“What message Rahul Gandhi wanted to give by showing a red copy of the Constitution of India,” asked Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis at a campaign rally in Sangli district as he accused the Congress leader of building a coalition of anarchists.

He said Rahul was indulging in theatrics while insulting the Constitution. He alleged that the grand old party made the mockery of the Constitution at the Nagpur event, where “red books with blank pages” were distributed among attendees.

In politics, the colour red is often associated with the Marxist or communist ideology.

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BJP ‘insulting’ Ambedkar

Meanwhile, the Congress on Thursday hit out at Fadnavis for his remarks on Rahul Gandhi showing a 'red-cover' copy of the Constitution, alleging the Maharashtra deputy chief minister is insulting the Constitution-maker and son of the state BR Ambedkar which the people will not tolerate.

The Congress also said that Fadnavis is "taking objection" to the very same Constitution the RSS attacked in 1949 for not being inspired by Manusmriti.

Targeting Fadnavis, Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X in Hindi that according to the former chief minister of Maharashtra, showing Babasaheb's Constitution and raising voice for caste census is a "Naxalite idea".

"This thinking of the BJP is an insult to the Constitution-maker, Maharashtra's son Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar," he said.

"During the Lok Sabha elections, the people of Maharashtra fought for the Constitution and gave a big victory to the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The people of Maharashtra will not tolerate any insult to Babasaheb by the BJP, and together with the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, they will defend our Constitution by responding with full force to every attack on it. And, all such shameful attempts of the BJP will fail - take it in writing, caste census will be done," Rahul said using the hashtag #SamvidhanVirodhiBhajpa (anti-Constitution BJP).

Also read: Decisive leadership | BJP's makeover for Fadnavis as Maharashtra polls approach

'Why does BJP hate Constitution?’

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also slammed the BJP on Friday, saying the people of Maharashtra and the country will give a befitting reply to the "anti-Constitution and anti-reservation" BJP.

In a post on Hindi on X, Kharge asked why the BJP has started "hating" the Constitution of India so much. "We are asking this question not only to the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Chief Minister of Assam, but also to Modiji, who had to bow down to the Constitution in Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections," Kharge said.

By repeatedly linking the Constitution with Naxalism, do the BJP/RSS leaders want to bring their defeated agenda of implementing Manusmriti in the country, he asked.

The BJP/RSS leaders are not able to tolerate that the Constitution gives equal rights to everyone and empowers Dalits, tribals, backward, minority and poor classes, Kharge alleged.

(With agency inputs)