Athawale Accuses Congress of Constitution Sabotage Amid Kharge's Defenses

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale accused Congress of undermining the Constitution, countering Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's pledge to protect it. Kharge also criticized the Modi government's lateral entry policy into government posts, which was withdrawn due to opposition pressure.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday accused the Congress party of destroying the Constitution while countering Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's claims about safeguarding it. Athawale's comments came as Kharge emphasized the need for state governments and elected representatives to protect the Constitution during a Mumbai gathering marking former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.

Highlighting the importance of legislative majorities, Kharge remarked, "To save the Constitution, we need MLAs and state governments. If we have a majority in states and the Rajya Sabha, then nobody will speak about changing the Constitution. If we don't have our governments in states and MLAs are not elected, how will they get elected to the Rajya Sabha?"

Kharge also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's controversial lateral entry policy into government posts. The advertisement for recruiting individuals from the private sector was withdrawn following strong opposition. "The Modi government withdrew this decision because you are strong. If the Modi government had been in majority, it would have placed RSS people on those posts without giving reservations to anyone," Kharge stated.

(With inputs from agencies.)