New Delhi, March 24 The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar again on Monday after BJP MPs accused Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, of advocating for changes to the Constitution -- a charge the Congress party firmly rejected as baseless.
Responding to the allegations, Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Mallikarjun Kharge said, “This morning, the issue of changing the Constitution was raised by some members, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and was supported by Leader of the House J.P. Nadda. I want to clarify that the Karnataka minister never spoke about altering the Constitution.”
The heated exchange led to chaos in the House, forcing an adjournment until 2 pm.
When proceedings resumed, Kharge reiterated the Congress party’s position, stating, “It is not our ministers but those in power who keep bringing up the idea of changing the Constitution.”
Addressing the Deputy Chairman, Kharge questioned the BJP’s stance, saying, “Didn’t RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speak about changing the Constitution? RSS and BJP leaders have openly said that if they secure a two-thirds majority, they will amend it. We, on the other hand, are committed to protecting the Constitution at any cost.”
In response, J.P. Nadda called Kharge’s remarks “an outright lie” and accused the Congress of hypocrisy.
“The Congress has a history of violating constitutional principles. In the Karnataka Assembly, they passed a proposal granting 4 per cent reservation for contractors -- something that goes against constitutional norms,” Nadda alleged.
He further claimed that the Congress had previously taken away reservation rights from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) to benefit Muslims in Telangana.
“Karnataka Deputy CM, D.K. Shivakumar, has again said that the Constitution was given by the Congress, and any changes to it will also be done by the Congress,” Nadda claimed.
The exchange reignited tensions in the House, with both sides resorting to sloganeering, ultimately leading to another adjournment.
Earlier on Monday as soon as the House convened, Rijiju raised concerns over statements allegedly made by senior Congress leaders in Karnataka.
"A very serious matter has come to our attention," he said, adding, "A senior Congress leader holding a constitutional post has claimed he is willing to change the Constitution to grant reservation to the Muslim community."
In response, Kharge refuted the allegations, asserting that the Congress was committed to safeguarding the Constitution. "No one can change the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Who is this person claiming we intend to do so?" he said.
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