In maiden speech, MP Priyanka slams Centre over Adani row, accuses BJP of weakening Constitution

Making her maiden speech in Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Constitution, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Constitution is a 'suraksha kavach' and the BJP-led Centre is trying to break that shield.

The Congress MP from Wayanad was the first to make a statement from the opposition bench on the discussion over the Constitution. “Constitution promises social, economic and political justice. These promises are a safety armour and work to break this has begun. Through lateral entry and privatisation, this government is trying to weaken reservation,” Priyanka said. 

Priyanka charged had the Bharatiya Janata Party won the majority it claimed in the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling party would have begun the process the change Constitution by now. “If not for Lok Sabha poll results, they (BJP) would have begun changing the Constitution. Truth is the BJP now talks of Constitution as they got to know in Lok Sabha polls that people are protecting it,” she said.

She said the people were demanding a caste-based census and even the ruling party was talking about it because of the election results. "When the entire opposition called for a caste-based census, they talked about cattle and 'mangalsutra' getting stolen," the Congress MP said.

Accusing the government of supporting businessman Gautam Adani, Priyanka charged the BJP government is prioritising the interests of one individual over the welfare of 142 crore Indians. "The country's wealth, airports, and land are being handed over to benefit one individual while poor Indians are left to suffer. This blatant misuse of public resources is unacceptable,” she said. 

Earlier, initiating the debate on the Constitution, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the contribution of several leaders in the making of the Constitution was deliberately ignored and hit out at the Congress, asserting that "a particular party" always tried to "hijack and appropriate" the framing of the Constitution, PTI reported.

“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. But, the BJP always bows before the Constitution and has never played with the independence and autonomy of institutions,” Singh asserted. 

Singh said though not part of the constituent assembly that framed the Constitution, leaders like Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and Veer Savarkar played an important role and their ideas are part of it.