BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan has affirmed that there will be no modifications to India’s Constitution. Chavan made this declaration while addressing the media in his home district of Nanded, where polling will take place on Friday along with seven other Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
Chavan stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party’s top leader, has explicitly communicated that the Constitution will not undergo any alterations. He emphasized that the Prime Minister’s statement is considered party policy. Chavan, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, emphasized that the position of the BJP’s top leadership holds more significance than individual opinions on the issue of constitutional changes.
Chavan noted that individuals who have made remarks about altering India’s Constitution have faced repercussions from the BJP. He cited an instance where such a leader was denied a BJP ticket in Karnataka. This instance appears to refer to controversial statements made by BJP’s Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha member Anantkumar Hegde in March regarding the Constitution.
In March, Hegde asserted that the BJP required a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, as well as control over more than 20 states, to rectify alleged distortions and unnecessary additions to India’s Constitution by the Congress party. Hegde had stated, “They (Congress) have changed the Constitution and brought laws to oppress the entire Hindu society. If all this is to be changed, it will not happen with this minority vote. Both sides need a 2/3 majority. This time PM Modi has said that he should win more than 400 seats. Why 400? We have a majority in the Lok Sabha, but not in the Rajya Sabha. We need 400 seats to make any changes in the Constitution. We need a 2/3 majority in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and also in the states. Just the majority in Lok Sabha is not enough.”
However, Chavan maintained that the BJP’s top leadership considers individual opinions less important than the party’s stance. He stated, “Those who spoke about bringing changes in the country’s Constitution did not get a ticket from the BJP to contest Lok Sabha elections. I think it happened in Karnataka. The opinion of an individual does not matter…what my party’s top leader says about it is more important to us.”