PM Modi must choose between Constitution and Manusmriti: Jignesh Mevani 

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to choose between Constitution and Manusmriti. We’re here to protect Constitution with all our might,” newly-elected Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said addressing ‘Yuva Hunkar’ rally in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Stating that the country is going through tumultuous times, Mevani said that democracy and constitution is in peril under the BJP government. “We are not against any caste or religious group. We are not the believers of love jihad and ghar wapisi, we believe in pyaar, ishq and mohabbat. We celebrate Valentine day,” Mevani said, adding that, “real issues like corporate loot, farmers’ suicide, corruption, poverty, unemployment, healthcare, education, GST and demonetisation have drowned in the cacophony of ghar wapasi, love jihad and cow protection.”

“A fake enemy is being set up against us to distract people in this country. But we won’t let this happen. We will vociferously demand that not Adani and Ambani, but land should be redistributed among landless peasants, Dalits and Adivasis,” he added.

“India must become digital but before that we must have this techonology in our country that people (manual scavengers) don’t die inside the gutters,” he asserted.

Demanding release of Chandershekhar Azad, he urged Modi government to, “fulfil the promise of giving jobs to 2 crore youths every year”.

“The media is questioning us about the denial of permission by police. If an elected representative is denied permission to speak over these issues, this is Gujarat Model. Modiji I am from your state of Gujarat and now I am also an MLA too. And I know a lot files had to be burnt in civil secretariat ahead of my election to the state assembly.”

“I am being targeted because of the way in which BJP’s target of 150 seats in Gujarat was crushed and restricted to 99 seats.”

Commenting on the Bhima Koregaon violence, he said, “Prime Minister Modi needs to answer the reason behind violence on Dalits, violence in Saharanpur, in Bhima Koregaon. Instead of taking action against the real perpetrators of the violence, FIR has been filed against me. You need to answer why case was registered against Akhil Gogoi besides student leaders in the recent years. Why the activists of Bhim Army are being targeted? Why the victims of Una and Saharanpur unrest haven’t got justice? Why the black money stashed in banks abroad has not brought back and redistributed among the poor as promised by you? Why the protesting farmers were shot at in Madhya Pradesh?”

Referring to the Prime Minister, he further asked as to why Rohith Vemula had to commit suicide and Najeed got disappeared. “I’ll keep raising such questions inside the Gujarat assembly and outside on the streets during protest demonstrations,” he added.

Earlier, taking a jibe at some TV channels which were dubbing the rally as damp squib and zooming in cameras on some of the empty chairs, he commented sarcastically, “I can tell you what would be topic of prime time debate on a particular tonight: Why Jignesh Mevani gave a packet of Kurkure to Umar Khalid and not Parle G biscuits. The nation wants to know.”