Congress slams BJP over its Nagaur candidate Jyoti Mirdha's 'samvidhanik badlav' remarks

The Congress on Tuesday, 3 April claimed that after Anantkumar Hegde, another leader of the ruling BJP, Jyoti Mirdha, has openly said that the party's aim is to change the Constitution, while asserting that it is a "deliberate strategy".

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared on X a post on an undated video of Mirdha, the BJP candidate from Rajasthan's Nagaur in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, in which she is purportedly heard talking about the need for the saffron party to secure a majority in both Houses of Parliament to be able to make constitutional amendments.

"After Anant Hegde let the cat out of the bag, BJP leaders hastily stuffed it back in and dropped him from their candidate list. Now another BJP candidate openly says the BJP's aim is to change the Constitution," Tharoor said on X.

How many more candidates can the BJP disavow for revealing the truth, he asked.

Reacting to Tharoor's post, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X: "These are all orchestrated by the MahaSutradhar himself. It is deliberate strategy."

Congress MP M K Raghavan also shared the video on the microblogging platform and said, "BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha contesting from Nagaur, Rajasthan was speaking about how the BJP plans to change the Constitution."

"BJP MP Anant Hegde had also said that BJP will change the Constitution if they get 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections," he said.

In the video, Mirdha is heard saying, "Desh ke hit mein kai kathor nirnay karne padte hain. Unke liye humein samvidhanik badlav karne padhte hain. Agar samvidhan ke andar humein koi badlav karna hota hai toh aap mein se kai log jaante hain uske liye dono jo humare sadan hain, Lok Sabha aur Rajya Sabha, unke andar haami chahiye hoti hai (Several tough decisions need to be taken in the country's interest. We have to make constitutional amendments for them. If we have to make amendments in the Constitution, many of you would know that we need the nod of both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha)."

Replying to Tharoor's criticism, Mirdha said, "As far as I understand, the BJP's aim is to serve the national and public interest as it gets articulated in the democratic discourse. And if for those purposes the Constitution needs to be amended then so be it."

Sharing Mirdha's video, the Congress said in a post on X, "This is BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha contesting from Nagaur, Rajasthan. Jyoti Mirdha says that to change the Constitution, we need an overwhelming majority in both the houses. BJP MP Anant Hegde has also said that if we get 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, we will change the Constitution."

"It is clear from these statements that BJP and PM Modi hate the Constitution and democracy. By abolishing the Constitution given by Babasaheb, BJP wants to snatch away the rights of the people," the Congress alleged.

Mirdha's remarks come days after the BJP axed former Union minister Hegde, a six-term Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, from its list of parliamentary poll candidates this time.

At a gathering at Karwar in Karnataka, Hegde had said the BJP needs a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament to amend the Constitution and "set right the distortions and unnecessary additions made to it by the Congress".