BJP, Congress trade barbs over ‘red’ Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi

PUNE Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader (BJP) Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday criticised Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for carrying a red-coloured copy of the Indian Constitution in the run-up to the state assembly elections.

Fadnavis while speaking in Sangli said, “Gandhi holds the Constitution in one hand while promoting anarchy with the other. He is influenced by urban Naxals and anarchists who are allegedly pushing the Congress toward radical agendas.”

Gandhi on Wednesday campaigned for the Congress-NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance of the Opposition in the state where assembly elections will be held on November 20. He carried a slim copy of the Constitution with a red cover at the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan convention in Nagpur.

In politics, the colour red is often associated with the Marxist or communist ideology.

Responding to Fadnavis, state Congress chief Nana Patole said the BJP was rattled by Gandhi’s event “near its stronghold” in Nagpur.

“Fadnavis, in his nervousness, is making false allegations to defame Rahul Gandhi. In Hinduism, red is considered auspicious, yet the BJP finds it impure. Those who oppose the Constitution have no right to decide whether a copy of the Constitution should be red, yellow or black. Do the BJP and Fadnavis equate saving the Constitution with urban Naxalism?” he said.

Meanwhile, addressing Jat’s long-standing water scarcity, Fadnavis highlighted that the state government has allocated significant funds for irrigation projects.

“We have sanctioned ₹8,072 crore for the Krishna-Koyna Lift Irrigation Scheme and ₹2,000 crore for the Mhaysal project. Our goal is to eliminate drought in 64 villages of Jat taluka once and for all,” he said, adding that these initiatives aim to convert rainfed agriculture into irrigated farming across the region.