\'Sheer hypocrisy\': Cong attacks PM on Constitution Day

NEW DELHI: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "hypocrisy", the Congress on Saturday alleged that the "ideological fountainheads" of the BJP had nothing to do in the making of the Constitution and he decided to mark November 26 as Constitution Day as he "desperately" wanted to show respect to the document.

The Opposition party's attack came hours after Prime Minister Modi addressed Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court.

"The draft Constitution was adopted by Constituent Assembly on 26.11.1949. Constituent Assembly decided it would come into force from 26.01.1950 which is since celebrated as Republic Day," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

Ideological fountainheads of BJP had nothing whatsoever to do in making the Constitution, he said in a series of tweets.

"In fact the RSS was opposed to the Constitution of India. Desperately wanting to show that he respects the Constitution – while he subverts it daily in letter and spirit – the prime minister decided to celebrate November 26 as Constitution Day. This is sheer hypocrisy," Ramesh said.

Babasaheb Ambedkar made one of the greatest speeches of the twentieth century on November 25, 1949, while piloting the final draft of the Constitution, Ramesh said.

"It's a speech worth reading over and over again. I wish to remind the prime minister and his drum beaters of just two paras from that speech," the Congress leader said sharing screen shots of portions from the speech.

"The task of the drafting committee would have been a very difficult one if this Constituent Assembly has been merely a motley crowd, a tessellated pavement without cement, a black stone here and a white stone there is which each member or each group was a law unto itself. There would have been nothing but chaos," Ambedkar had said.

"This possibility of chaos was reduced to nil by the existence of the Congress Party inside the Assembly which brought into its proceedings a sense of order and discipline," he had said.

"It is because of the discipline of the Congress Party that the Drafting Committee was able to pilot the Constitution in the Assembly with the sure knowledge as to the fate of each article and each amendment. The Congress Party is, therefore, entitled to all the credit for the smooth sailing of the Draft Constitution in the Assembly," Ambedkar had said.

Ramesh shared another paragraph from the speech in which Ambedkar had said, "Hero-worship, bhakti in politics a sure road to dictatorship."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Constitution is a means of living and its spirit remains the same always, while party leader Rahul Gandhi asserted he will walk on the road to unity till every word of it is upheld.

November 26 is observed as Constitution Day since 2015. Earlier, the day was observed as Law Day.