New Delhi, 13th April 2024
As the nation commemorates the birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Ambedkar on April 14th, a resounding call to safeguard the Constitution and combat dictatorship echoes across the country. Inspired by the appeal of Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, citizens are urged to pledge their commitment to preserving democratic values. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) heeds this call with a bold initiative titled ‘Samvidhan Bachao, Tanashahi Hatao,’ set to unfold in the capitals of 24 states. Despite facing incarceration, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasizes the urgency of defending the Constitution amidst perceived threats to democracy by the current government led by PM Modi. With a rallying cry for national unity, Shri Gopal Rai emphasizes the imperative of collective action to thwart any assault on constitutional principles and democratic norms.
AAP’s Delhi State Convenor and Cabinet Minister Shri Gopal Rai, while addressing a press conference on Saturday, stated that the party, on the guidelines CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, has decided to celebrate ‘Samvidhan Bachao, Tanashahi Hatao’ (Save the Constitution, Remove the Dictatorship) day on the occasion of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on 14th April. Shri Gopal Rai stated that the CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal had sent out a message which said no matter how many atrocities the BJP people do on us, we will tolerate it all. However, it is important to stay focused on the crucial period of the Lok Sabha elections.
“It is an extremely crucial time because the way the Modi led BJP government is crushing the values of the constitution, it is important for the people to unite and stand against them to save the constitution. It is important for everyone to pledge to save the constitution and to uproot those who are violating the values of the constitution in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, under any circumstance. Accordingly, the party has decided to organize ‘Samvidhan Bachao, Tanashahi Hatao’ day across all the states’ capitals on 14th April. In Delhi, this oath ceremony will take place at the AAP Headquarters at Rouse Avenue where all the officials and senior leaders, ministers, MLAs will read the preamble of the Constitution together and pledge to save the constitution. Similarly, in the capitals of 24 states, this oath ceremony will take place in the form of ‘Samvidhan Bachao Tanashahi Hatao’.” the AAP Delhi State Convenor affirmed.
The Senior AAP leader stated that ever since the mega rally was organized successfully by the INDIA Alliance in the Ramlila Ground, we have seen how the PM has been commenting on it wherever he’s going. Yesterday, the PM said in an election meeting that even if Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar comes back, he cannot finish the constitution. “Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar had drafted the constitution, why would he even think about finishing it? Why would he change the constitution? He is the creator of this constitution. It is you (Modi) who is hellbent on finishing it. You are finishing the soul of the constitution, that is the democracy of India. The first important aspect of India’s democracy is Parliament. You do not make your own Parliament, but the basic foundation of the Parliament is party and opposition. There are parties and opposition, by joining them the soul of democracy is born. But you have made your own Parliament, where you have made history by suspending more than 150 MPs at once. You still have the audacity to call yourself a democratic government. If the entire opposition is suspended and you pass whichever bill as per your liking, this is nothing but an attack on the values of democracy and the constitution of India,” Gopal Rai stated.
Addressing the BJP, he said, “Wherever there is an opposition government in the legislative assemblies, in states where there is no BJP government, what are you doing there? You are buying the mandate of the people, bidding their mandate, or you are poaching the MLAs by showing them the fear of probe agencies. Wherever there is opposition government, you have been doing this. The biggest example is of Maharashtra, where you sabotaged everything to disintegrate the government. If this is not an attack on the democracy or the constitution, then what is? In what other ways do you plan to do it? You did the same in Karnataka, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh. Now, you’ve arrested the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, you used violence there. You are doing the same in Delhi and Punjab. If you want to make this country opposition-less, it means that you want to establish a one-party dictatorship in this country, that is also an attack on democracy and constitution.”
The Constitution of India has two major pillars, government and the opposition. Opposition is important to ensure that no government gets intoxicated with power and arrogance. They should be held accountable in the Parliament and on the streets. The government should always be afraid that it can be changed by the public, they have the alternative.
The AAP Cabinet Minister further added that it is not just about the legislative assemblies, the BJP led central government has also taken the Election Commission under its control. The Election Commission (EC) is the organization which is responsible for ensuring free and fair elections in the country. “Why is the BJP afraid of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) being a part of the Election Commission? They have replaced him with their own representative. Now two of three members committee belong to the BJP. If the CJI is a member of the selection committee, then what was the BJP afraid of? They want everything to be under their control, whether it’s the Parliament, Legislative Assemblies, or the Election Commission. This is a direct attack on the democracy and the Constitution of India.”
The Senior AAP leader further stated that apart from the EC, all the other constitutional agencies have two laws to follow. The ED, CBI, and the IT, along with the Delhi Police Department, are following two set of rules and laws, one for the BJP, and the other for the rest of the people. The entire country is watching this. Talking about the hypocrisy of these probe agencies, he said, “Until Ajit Pawar joined your party, he was the biggest corrupt according to your agency. The moment he joined you, his file disappeared. The same happened in the case of Chhagan Bhujbal, Ashok Chavan, and Himanta Biswa Sarma the investigation against them was closed. So much so, the so-called liquor policy scam, which you (BJP) are so obsessed with, the ‘kingpin’ Sarath Chandra Reddy, was released once he donated ₹60 crore to you. The ED had nothing to say then, it suddenly stopped objecting to his bail. Raghav Magunta was also arrested under the same allegation, now his father, Magunta Reddy, has been given a ticket by the NDA. He Is conveniently campaigning for the elections.”
Condemning the BJP led central government, Shri Gopal stated, “The way the you (BJP) are setting these dual standards for every agency, the way you’re controlling these agencies, this is nothing but an attack on the democracy and the constitution. In Delhi, the Police Department is under your control. The entire country has seen how the Delhi Police imposed Section 144 in Delhi, allowed the protests by the BJP. The BJP supporters could gather to protest, whether at ITO or at Cannaught Place. On the other hand, when the AAP workers come out to protest, the police do not even let two people gather together saying that Section 144 is imposed. Section 144 says that four people can gather together, but the moment even two people of the AAP are seen together, they start dragging us to buses. When the workers of the All-India Trinamool Congress went to protest in front of the EC office, the police arrested their workers. The BJP officials can do anything they want, the police would not even utter a word. They just say that they have orders from above. This is an attack on democracy and the constitution.”
Shri Gopal Rai also lashed out at PM Modi and the central government for snatching the freedom of the media. He stated, “The way the BJP has controlled the media. Even if there’s one negative news about their government, the media house gets a call whether they want to run the channel or not. If a media person utters one word against them, they are threatened of losing their jobs. The entire nation is worried of the current situation because we’ve fought hard to achieve the democracy and the constitution. Millions of people sacrificed their lives during the freedom fight for democracy and the constitution of India. This is why the people are anxious, they are scared. A sitting Chief Minister holds no value to you? You (PM Modi) give speeches that you are fighting against corruption and you will keep fighting. Can you not see Ajit Pawar now? Now Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Himanta Biswa Sarma. They were all corrupt in your eyes yesterday, and suddenly they are now honest leaders.”
He also criticized the fraudulent arrest of a sitting Chief Minister of Delhi Shri Arvind Kejriwal by the ED. “You have arrested a sitting Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, without any evidence, without any FIR. You said you wanted to interrogate him, after 10 days of interrogation by your ED, which took him in custody not once but twice. Now, when an elected CM was given time to meet the CM of Punjab, it was suddenly cancelled and now you’re saying that they can meet behind glass windows. This is nothing but the murder of democracy and the constitution of India.”
The AAP Cabinet Minister, addressing the BJP stated, “You are violating the fundamentals of democracy, where government and opposition are supposed to contest in the elections fairly. If you believed in democracy and constitution, you would have let everyone campaign fairly. You have a whopping Rs 8,000 crore from the raids of the ED and the CBI. On the other side, you have sealed the accounts of the opposition parties. You have already sealed Congress’ accounts during election campaigning, and you’re now saying that the AAP is next. You cannot even tolerate ₹1,000 crore in the opposition parties’ funds when you’re comfortably sitting on funds amounting to ₹8,000 crore.”
Shri Gopal Rai concluded by saying that all these instances are the reason why people are anxious about what is going to happen. Whatever is happening in the country, is happening for the first time. This is our appeal to the citizens of the country to unite and fight against the dictators to save the democracy and the constitution of India. We have the right to cast our vote. Tomorrow, the AAP will celebrate ‘Samvidhan Bachao, Tanashahi Hatao’ day across the nation. We will also organize the oath ceremony across the capitals to save the constitution. The AAP workers, from every nook and corner of the country, will work to save the democracy and the constitution, and to uproot the dictatorial government, he concluded.
