‘Sahab, ismein sab kuch likha hai’: Kharge slams Modi’s ’empty Constitution’ remarks, urges Congress to send PM a copy | India News

“Sahab, ismein sab kuch likha hai”: Mallikarjun Kharge replies to PM Modi’s ’empty constitution’ remarks

NEW DELHI: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the Congress’ adherence to the Constitution on Saturday, urging his party’s candidate Nitin Raut to send a copy of the text to PM Modi. In a fiery address in Nagpur, Kharge rebutted Modi’s claim that the Congress’ “Laal Kitab” (red book) of the Constitution is “empty,” labeling the statement a “disregard for Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy.”
“This is the Constitution; it has everything inside it,” Kharge said, holding up a copy for the audience. “He [PM Modi] said the pages of this red book which Rahul Gandhi reads are blank. He called it ‘kora kaagaz’ (blank paper)… Read this; is it blank? Sahab, everything is written in it,” Kharge asserted, as he called on Raut to deliver a copy to Modi directly.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi criticized Congress for allegedly exploiting the Constitution, calling their use of the “Laal Kitab” a “political farziwada” (fraud). “In ‘farziwada,’ Congress has broken its own record,” Modi remarked. “The Laal Kitab of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting contained ‘nothing.’ It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’ disregard and hate for Baba Saheb Ambedkar.”
Kharge further accused the BJP of only recently acknowledging Ambedkar’s role in Indian history. “They used to say that Babasaheb’s Constitution was not right for them and should instead be based on ‘Manusmriti.’ Today, Modi Ji comes to Nagpur and pays tribute to Babasaheb’s photo. I want to ask BJP supporters why there was no photo of Ambedkar in their offices before.”
Kharge also questioned PM Modi’s intentions toward the Constitution, claiming the prime minister would have sought changes if given a stronger mandate. “If Narendra Modi had the majority, who knows how many changes he would have made to the Constitution,” he said, adding, “Modi Ji stands on two legs, and both are artificial. One leg is TDP, and the other is JDU. If those two legs are removed, Modi Ji will not even be able to walk; he will have to sit down. If anything happens to the Constitution, RSS and Modi Ji will be responsible because their ideology says so.”
Highlighting the Congress’ work in Congress-led states, Kharge defended the party’s pledges. “Modi Ji says that all of Congress’ guarantees are lies. If so, tell us what is a lie. We have fulfilled guarantees in Telangana, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh,” he said, citing funds set aside in Karnataka’s budget. “In Karnataka, we allocated 9,657 crores for the Greh Laxmi Yojana, of which 5,164 crores have been spent. For the Shakti Scheme providing free bus travel for women, a budget of 5,000 crores was set, with 2,708 crores already utilized,” Kharge outlined, countering accusations of empty promises.