How Rahul Gandhi kept the Constitution alive at every election since 2024 LS polls

In every election podium, be it addressing voters from Nagpur to Wayanad, Rahul flashed a red copy of the Constitution, which he calls 'country's DNA', reminding people of India that the Indian Constitution is "under attack" by forces of hatred and communalism and needs to be "protected". 

Besides championing for a caste census, his other rallying cry in election rallies has been that the "primary struggle in the country today is to protect and preserve the Constitution".

“The main fight in the country today, that is taking place, is the fight for the Constitution of our country. The protection that we get, the greatness of our country, all emerged from the Constitution,” he has said on election podiums.

Targetting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he warned people that the saffron party will “tear apart” and “throw away” the Constitution which granted rights to the poor, Dalits, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

Also read: Constitution is country’s DNA, but it’s a ‘blank book’ for BJP-RSS: Rahul 

Rahul's message: Living with self-respect

Today, as the country celebrates Constitution Day or Samvidhan Diwas, it may be recalled that Rahul has single-handedly made the Indian Constitution an election issue, a novel way of launching an attack on BJP’s 'divisive' policies.

In his statement on Constitution Day, the champion of the Constitution said, "The Constitution is a powerful tool to protect the poorest and weakest sections of society, and the stronger it is, the stronger the country will be".

Greeting everyone on Constitution Day, Rahul asserted, the basic spirit of our Constitution is that justice and rights should be equal for all. "Everyone should get an opportunity to live with self-respect," he added.

Saluting the "fighters, martyrs and every member of the Constituent Assembly who protected the idea of the Constitution", Rahul reiterated his resolve to protect it.

While the Congress, taking a dig at BJP, also said that in the face of the "insincere commitment towards the Constitution our duty to protect it and fight for its true values becomes all the more relevant”.

And added, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are not just ideals or ideas, they are the way of life for 140 crore Indians.

Also read: Rahul mocks Modi over Constitution; says PM has never read it

Election strategy

Though, his allies in the INDIA bloc like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) may be skeptical about the effectiveness of Rahul's campaign strategy of stoking voters' sentiment with the cry, 'Samvidhan khatre mai hai', to win the Maharashtra elections, it did make the ruling BJP nervous.

Worried that his speeches on how the Constitution of the country was “not written with hatred, but with humility and love" may resonate with voters, BJP leaders often slammed him for bringing up the need to protect the ideals enshrined in the Constitution, which guarantees its citizens justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

During the Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP also lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India and a FIR against Rahul's claim that the saffron party wanted to "destroy the Constitution".

Red copy, blank copy

The BJP was desperate enough to find fault with the red cover of the Constitution copy, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was carrying and waving at the crowds. They termed it a symbol of "Naxalism."

It became the subject of political wrangling in poll-bound Maharashtra with the BJP seeking to know what message he wanted to give by flashing a 'red' cover copy. The Congress hit back, stating the red colour is considered auspicious in Hinduism.

The BJP then also suggested that Rahul's copy of the Constitution is blank inside.

As a counter to that accusation, Rahul launched a sharp attack on PM Modi saying, "The Constitution holds the soul of India... Modi ji thinks the book I carry is blank because he has no idea what's inside. It's clear he's never read it in his life".

On another platform, once again, he said, "I can guarantee that the Prime Minister (Modi) has not even read the Constitution of India. If he had read it, he would respect what is written in this book. If there is democracy in India, it is because of this book, and this book exists because of BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, and Phule ji."

"Narendra Modi and the RSS have attacked this book for 24 hours. Is it written in this book that anyone should buy MLAs to topple Maharashtra’s government?" he asked, just before Maharashtra went to polls.

On displaying "Babasaheb’s Constitution" and raising the voice for caste census as a 'Naxalite' idea, Rahul hit out at BJP’s thinking, saying it is "an insult to the Constitution maker, Maharashtra’s son Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar".

Whether it is bringing in votes for the Congress or the INDIA bloc or not, Rahul, it seems, is in no hurry to put down a copy of the Constitution at election rallies.