MANGALURU: BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh on Saturday rebutted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s claim that BJP and RSS leaders did not participate in the freedom struggle. Santhosh emphasised that during the 1975 national emergency, which he referred to as the country’s second freedom struggle, it was primarily RSS and BJP members who were jailed.
He was speaking at the release of the book Samvidhana Badalisidavaru Yaaru (Who Changed the Constitution?), authored by BJP leader Vikas Kumar P. Santosh accused the Congress of attempting to erode the foundational principles of the Constitution through frequent amendments, some of which he claimed were designed to benefit the Nehru-Gandhi family.
He pointed out that the BJP and other non-Congress forces took corrective action, citing the abrogation of Article 370 as an example. “They did not just infringe on the Constitution; they raped it,” Santhosh said. He also criticised Congress for allegedly undermining the legacy of Dr B R Ambedkar, accusing the party of working against Ambedkar’s aspirations since the days of the Constituent Assembly.
He further claimed that Congress had insulted Ambedkar’s family by denying him a memorial and not allowing his last rites to take place in the national capital. Santhosh credited BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee with playing a key role in getting Ambedkar elected to the Constituent Assembly from West Bengal.
Santhosh alleged that Jawaharlal Nehru opposed Ambedkar’s ideas, including the provision of voting rights for women and the Hindu Code Bill. He also criticised former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for introducing ‘Socialism’ and ‘Secularism’ into the Preamble of the Constitution.