Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over its alleged double standards on the constitution. Speaking at a massive public meeting in Telangana, Kharge questioned why the BJP still has the words “secular” and “socialist” in its own party constitution while its ideological mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has been demanding their removal from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Kharge read aloud Article II of the BJP’s constitution in front of the Congress workers from across the state. The article states that the party shall remain committed to the principles of socialism, secularism, and democracy. Highlighting the contradiction, Kharge asked, “Why are these words present in your own constitution if you believe they don’t belong in the country’s constitution?” He was referring to recent comments by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who had suggested revisiting the inclusions of the terms “socialist” and “secular” in the Preamble because they were “added later” during the Emergency.
Without naming Hosabale directly, Kharge issued a strong challenge to the BJP leadership. “I dare Modi, Shah and your entire party – try changing the constitution. You won’t succeed. No one can remove these words. It is my open challenge,” he declared.
Apart from the Preamble controversy, Kharge also took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on pressing national issues, particularly the situation in Manipur. “He has visited 42 countries but hasn’t gone to Manipur where women are being raped and violence continued. Why is he silent?” he asked. Kharge said that both he and Rahul Gandhi have visited Manipur, while PM Modi has yet to even comment meaningfully on the crisis.
Kharge also raised questions on the government’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack and mocked Modi’s silence on U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he helped broker peace between India and Pakistan. “Why didn’t Modi respond? Why is our foreign policy so quiet when the world speaks on our behalf?” he asked.
He also spoke about social injustice, promising that Congress would implement 42% reservations for Backwards Classes (BCs) in education, jobs, and local elections. He congratulated the Telangana government for conducting a caste census and said this data must be used to ensure true representation.
