People will change govt if you try to change Constitution, Oppn warns Mahayuti 

Mumbai, March 25 (IANS) The Congress Legislature Party leader, Vijay Wadettiwar, on Tuesday warned the Mahayuti government that if any attempt is made to change the Constitution, the people will change the government.” 

The Constitution is a better book than any religious scriptures. This country will run on the Constitution and if you try to change the Constitution, the people will change the government,” he said in his speech in the state Assembly on special debate on ‘The glorious journey of the Indian Constitution’.

“The foundation of our Constitution comes from the teachings of saints. They opposed caste discrimination, untouchability, and social inequality. Saint Tukaram, Saint Namdev, and Saint Dnyaneshwar advocated self-improvement and rationalism. Article 19 of the Constitution recognises freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of thought. Saint Janabai and Saint Bahinabai advocated the dignity of women. This is also reflected in the Constitution,” said Wadettiwar.

He further stated that Babasaheb Ambedkar had emphasised that politics and religion should remain separate. “The Constitution has said that the government and government agencies should treat all religions equally. But here, a minister in the cabinet makes a provocative statement against one religion... isn't this a violation of the Constitution? The creation of a secular state is the basic concept of the Constitution, and the government is working to trample on it,” he claimed.

The Shiv Sena UBT Legislative Party leader Bhaskar Jadhav asked the MahaYuti government to maintain the honour of democracy by appointing a Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. “We are discussing the Constitution. Tomorrow is the last day of the session. You (the government) are electing the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. I have given all the evidence that there is no need for numbers to elect the Leader of the Opposition. ⁠But despite giving the letter, you are not electing the Leader of the Opposition. If you are opposed to my name, I will take back my name. I ask the party chief to give the letter with another name. But please maintain the respect of democracy by appointing the Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

Shiv Sena legislator Arjun Khotkar said that no one has been given the right to create conflicts in religion. He criticised the government for saying that the health of this society will be affected by someone's expression, by someone's words, and that there will be fights between castes and religions, and the Constitution has not given us this right. “In the village where we used to live, we never knew who belonged to whom; today all people have been divided into castes. Now, a person from one caste does not greet a person from another caste. In which direction are we heading? This is worrying. We should be able to break all this with the power of the Constitution,” he added.

However, BJP legislator Amit Satam accused the opposition parties of giving a false impression of the Constitution. “Some people had a false sense of the Constitution in 2024, but the same people damaged the Constitution of this country, crushed the Constitution of this country,” he said. "Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dante,” (the pot calling the kettle black) taunted Satam, saying that those who alleged that the Constitution was in danger were in power in the state from 2019 to 2022 in Maharashtra, when they crushed the Constitution.