JAIPUR: Amid opposition charges that the BJP was out to destroy the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that his government revered it and even Babasaheb Ambedkar would not be able to abolish it now.
Addressing an election rally in Barmer, Modi alleged that the Congress was standing with anti-national forces and hit out at the opposition INDIA bloc for "trying to weaken" the country.
"The Constitution of the country is everything for the (BJP) government and even if Babasaheb Ambedkar himself comes, he cannot abolish the Constitution," Modi said.
Dr B R Ambedkar was the Chief Architect of the Constitution.
The prime minister accused the Congress of trying to "destroy the Constitution" by imposing an emergency in the country.
"The Congress tried to destroy the Constitution by imposing emergency in the country and now it is taking cover in the name of the Constitution to abuse Modi," the prime minister said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had last month alleged that the "ultimate goal of Narendra Modi and the BJP is to destroy Babasaheb's Constitution" after BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's statement that the party needs a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution.
The BJP had dubbed Hegde's remarks "personal opinion" and sought clarification from him.
Without taking any names, Modi said a party in the INDIA bloc has written in its manifesto about nuclear disarmament.
"Should a country like India, whose neighbours on both sides have nuclear weapons, think about eliminating nuclear weapons? I want to ask the Congress, on whose instructions your INDI alliance is working?" Modi said.
"What kind of alliance is this that wants to make India powerless," he asked.
Modi also accused Congress of corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
"Rajasthan, whose people gave their blood for the country, was kept thirsty for water by the Congress. During the time the Congress government was in power in Rajasthan, it indulged in massive corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission. Congress did not even allow the ERCP (Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project) to bring water to Rajasthan to be completed."
Modi said the Congress' thinking was anti-development and the country's border districts were deliberately deprived of development by former Congress governments.
"Congress stands with every anti-national force. It ruled for decades but there is not a single major problem of the country for which it gave a complete solution," Modi said.
"Congress' thinking is anti-development. The country's border districts were deliberately deprived of development by former Congress governments," he said.
While Modi is busy making India a powerful nation, people of the 'INDI alliance' are trying to make India weak, he said.
The Congress is a constituent of the INDIA bloc.
Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha seats. The polling will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26.
The BJP had won all 25 seats in the state in 2014. In 2019, the BJP-led alliance won all 25 seats, with the BJP winning 24.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
