Rahul Gandhi says he will be the first to stand up against any attack on the Constitution.
Kharge calls for protecting core principles like justice, equality, freedom, secularism and socialism.
Congress recalls Ambedkar’s role and alleges long-standing attacks on the Constitution by the RSS.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge used Constitution Day on Wednesday to urge citizens to defend the founding document’s core values, stressing that any assault on the Constitution would directly undermine the rights of ordinary Indians. According to PTI, both leaders issued separate messages calling for renewed commitment to justice, equality and democratic freedoms.
Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said the Constitution remained “the protective shield of the poor and the deprived” and a guarantee of dignity for every citizen. In a post on X, written in Hindi, he said the Constitution was “not just a book; it is a sacred promise made to every citizen of the country. A promise that no matter what religion or caste one belongs to, what region one comes from, what language one speaks, whether poor or rich, one will receive equality, respect, and justice.”
He added that as long as the Constitution was safeguarded, the rights of all Indians would remain intact. “Let us pledge that we will not allow any attack on the Constitution. It is my duty to protect it, and I will be the first to stand up against any attack on it,” he said, greeting people on Constitution Day. PTI reported that Gandhi framed his message as a call for collective vigilance amid ongoing political debates over constitutional values.
Kharge, the Congress president, also marked the day with a message emphasising the need to protect the document’s fundamental principles — justice, equality, freedom, mutual brotherhood, secularism and socialism. Reported PTI, Kharge quoted BR Ambedkar to underline that the Constitution remained a “way of life”, not merely a governing text.
In his post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, “We remember the invaluable contributions of all the great leaders of the Constituent Assembly. Countless national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Maulana Azad, Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu, and Babasaheb Ambedkar played a historic role in building a new India.” He added that the commitment required today was to uphold democracy, unity, integrity, harmony, and “the freedom of democracy and the Constitution”.
The Congress also recalled that Ambedkar had moved the resolution for the adoption of the draft Constitution 76 years ago on 26 November 1949, noting that both Ambedkar and the Constitution had faced what it described as a “ferocious assault” from the RSS, which it claimed had persisted over the decades.
Constitution Day, or Samvidhan Diwas, has been observed on 26 November since 2015 to mark the adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly.
(With inputs from PTI)
