BJP's Tawde demands Rahul Gandhi's response over South Goa candidate's Constitution remark

Rahul Gandhi must clarify on Congress candidate's statement about the Indian Constitution, says BJP's Tawde. Congress leaders in Goa are claiming the Constitution should be changed, while their chief Kharge alleges the BJP will alter it. Tawde dismisses these claims, calling them statements of opposition lacking substance. He demands Rahul Gandhi's comments on the Constitution issue and criticizes Congress over inheritance tax, alleging it would benefit a specific community. In response, Goa Congress leader Alemao declares plans to amend the Constitution to disqualify defectors and accuses the BJP of violating the Constitution.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi must clarify about his party's South Goa Lok Sabha candidate Viriato Fernandes' comment on the Indian Constitution being forced upon Goa after it was liberated from the Portuguese in 1961, Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Vinod Tawde said on Thursday.

While on one hand Congress leaders in Goa are saying the Constitution must be changed, on the other hand the party's chief Mallikarjun Kharge is claiming BJP will change the Constitution if it wins more than 400 Lok Sabha seats, Tawde said.

''The BJP released its manifesto on April 14 on the birth anniversary Babasaheb Ambedkar. Since the opposition has nothing to speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they are making such statements,'' he said referring to Kharge's comment.

''I want Rahul Gandhi to come out in public and comment on the statement made Congress candidate in Goa about the Constitution,'' he added.

Slamming the Congress over the inheritance tax issue, the BJP leader said the money taken by the government in this manner will get distributed to ''those whom (former PM) Manmohan Singh had mentioned (an apparent reference to the Muslim community)''.

Reacting to Tawde's press conference, senior Congressman Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly Yuri Alemao said his party, if it comes to power, will amend the 10th Schedule of the Constitution to automatically disqualify those MPs and legislators who defect from one party to another.

''Tawde is worried because of this commitment of the Congress party. We don't want lessons on the Constitution from those who murdered it and engineered mass defections,'' Alemao said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)