Congress, BJP condemn KCR's call for new Constitution

Hyderabad, Feb 2:  Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's call for rewriting the Constitution has evoked strong reaction from both Congress and BJP, which called for protests against his remarks.

A day after the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) mooted the idea of a new Constitution to bring a qualitative change in the country, both the opposition parties expressed their strong displeasure and alleged that he insulted architect of the Indian Constitution Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

State Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy announced a 48-hour protest programme from February 3 and called upon the party cadre to participate in it in large numbers.

Revanth Reddy, who is also an MP, said the demonstrations would include burning of the CM's effigy in front of Ambedkar's statues across the state.

The Congress leader alleged that KCR spoke the language of BJP as the saffron party has the plans to bring a new Constitution to deprive Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of reservations. Revanth Reddy also demanded that the Chief Minister should apologise for his remarks.

The Congress leader also questioned KCR's backing of AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi for fielding his party candidates in Uttar Pradesh elections. He alleged that the TRS leader has brokered a deal for ensuring the BJP's win in UP.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief and MP Bandi Sanjay alleged that KCR insulted the Constitution and announced that he will sit on a protest at BJP state office in Hyderabad on Thursday.

He alleged KCR's talk of new Constitution is a ploy to deny reservations for SCs and STs. "BJP abides by Dr.B.R Ambedkar's Constitution and will never allow it to become vulnerable to the machinations of megalomaniacs like KCR," Sanjay said.

"KCR's behaviour is bordering on insanity. In his frustration, which has reached a peak, he even insulted Dr.B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution," the BJP leader said.

He also strongly condemned the abusive language allegedly used by KCR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy has also slammed KCR for using objectionable language against the PM. He said the Chief Minister's remarks show that he was feeling insecure ever since the defeat of TRS in by-elections to Huzurabad Assembly seat.

The BJP leaders reminded KCR that he and his party are enjoying power due to the vision of Ambedkar who incorporated the right for creation of smaller states in the Constitution.

They said even after seven years KCR has not fulfilled his promise to install a 125-feet statue of Ambedkar in Hyderabad.

"Telangana CM is anti-Dalit as he has not made a Dalit the Chief Minister as promised, denied them three acres of land, removed a Dalit Deputy CM and has deceived them further with his non-starter Dalit Bandhu scheme. Even boycotting the President's address to both houses of Parliament is showing disrespect to the first citizen of the country who is a Dalit," he said.

Meanwhile, TRS leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari lashed out at BJP leaders calling them successors of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

He said the successors of Godse had no right to talk about Dr Ambedkar. He said KCR called for rewriting the Constitution to meet the aspirations of people and to ensure that the country develops at a rapid pace and emerges as a superpower.

Srihari said there should be nation-wide debate on the need for a new Constitution and pointed out that many countries rewrote their Constitutions in tune with the changing times and needs.