Belagavi, Dec 26 (PTI) Alleging that the Constitution faces its “gravest threat yet”, the Congress on Thursday said Home Minister Amit Shah’s “denigration” of B R Ambedkar in Parliament is the latest instance of the RSS-BJP’s decades-long project to undermine the Constitution.
In its political resolution, the Congress Working Committee reiterated the demand for the home minister’s resignation as well as an apology to the nation from him.
Two resolutions were passed at the ‘Nava Satyagraha Baithak’ here attended by top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, among others.
“Unfortunately, as we enter the 75th year of our Republic in exactly a month’s time, the Constitution faces its gravest threat yet. Jawaharlal Nehru had said that ‘there is no doubt that no one took greater care and trouble over Constitution making than Dr. Ambedkar’,” the resolution read.
“The Union Home Minister’s denigration of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in Parliament is the latest instance of the RSS-BJP’s decades-long project to undermine the Constitution. The CWC reiterates the demand for the Union Home Minister’s resignation as well as for an apology to the nation from him,” it said.
The CWC said it is distressed by the “ongoing degradation” of democracy.
“Institutions such as the judiciary, the Election Commission, and the media have been politicised through executive pressure. Parliament has been gutted, as shown by the unprecedented obstruction of its proceedings by the treasury benches in the recently-concluded Winter Session of 2024,” the Congress said.
The CWC alleged that the Constitution’s federal structure continues to be under attack, most recently from the government’s ‘One Nation, One Election bill’.
The CWC condemned the Centre’s amendment to the Conduct of Election Rules 1961 undertaken on the recommendation of the Election Commission which restricts public access to crucial sections of poll documents.
“This undermines the principles of transparency and accountability that form the cornerstone of free and fair elections. We have challenged these amendments in the Supreme Court,” it said.
The party alleged that the way elections have been conducted in Haryana and Maharashtra especially, have already eroded the integrity of the electoral process.
The CWC also expressed deep concern by the “state-sponsored increase in communal and ethnic hatred, particularly targeted against minority communities”.
“Manipur, which has been burning since May 2023, continues to be met with indifference by the Prime Minister and his government. The Prime Minister has not visited this troubled state ever since violence erupted in May 2023,” the resolution said.
It claimed that the communal tension has deliberately been stoked in Sambhal and other places for the RSS-BJP’s narrow political gain.
“The Places of Worship Act, 1991 to which the Indian National Congress is firmly committed in letter and spirit has also come under needless and reckless debate,” the resolution said.
The CWC also condemned in the strongest possible terms, the manner in which peaceful protests by the party were dealt with by the governments in BJP-ruled states like Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
“A number of Congress workers lost their lives. This is totally unacceptable, and it only reflects the anti-democratic mindset of the BJP,” the CWC said.
The CWC demanded that a socio-economic caste census be conducted at the earliest.
“The 50 per cent ceiling on reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and OBCs must be increased so as to further enhance the benefits accrued to these three traditionally disadvantaged groups of our society,” it said.
The party asserted that reservations must be on the basis of social, economic, or educational backwardness determined through appropriate means.
The economy has experienced a sharp slowdown even as prices of essential commodities continue to rise, it said.
“The Modi government’s economic policies are designed to enrich only a few of the PM’s favourite business groups. Oligopolies in the economy are growing. While more and more Indians have a stake in capital markets, the integrity of regulators has been called into serious question,” the resolution said.
The CWC demanded that the government use the upcoming Union Budget to provide income support to the poor and tax relief for the middle classes.
The CWC also criticized the Union government for its “blatant neglect of agriculture and rural employment”.
It demanded immediate corrective measures, including legal guarantee for MSP and its fixation at 50 per cent of the comprehensive cost of cultivation, and adequate funding for MGNREGA, along with an increase in its wage rate to Rs 400 a day.
Noting the External Affairs Minister’s announcement regarding the disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, the resolution said, “This falls far short of India’s stated goal of restoring the April 2020 status quo and represents the nation’s biggest territorial setback in decades. The CWC reiterates its demand that the government take the Opposition into confidence and allow a full discussion in Parliament regarding the situation along the LAC.” The CWC also expressed concern over the recent increase in attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.
“We strongly urge the Union government to work with the interim government of Bangladesh to ensure their safety and wellbeing,” it said. PTI ASK/SKC ZMN
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