Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram cautioned on Monday that any move to amend the Constitution as per the BJP's agenda could spell the end of parliamentary democracy, federalism, minority rights, and the status of English as one of the official languages.
"If the Constitution is amended according to the RSS/BJP agenda, that will be the end of Parliamentary democracy, Federalism, rights of the Minorities, and the English language being one of the two official languages," he said.
Chidambaram's statement comes in response to BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's remarks that the BJP would require a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution.
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In a social media post, Chidambaram highlighted that the BJP's intention to amend the Constitution has long been known. He cited several instances where BJP leaders have advocated for India to become a Hindu Rashtra and for Hindi to be the sole official language, with the central government holding dominance over state governments.
"The BJP's intention to amend the Constitution was never a secret. Dozens of BJP leaders in private conversations have said that India must be a Hindu Rashtra, that Hindi must be the sole official language of India, and the central government must be strong and prevail over the state governments," he said.
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He criticised Hegde's remarks as part of a tactic where BJP members disclose controversial views and then retract them, leaving an impact on their cadre base.
The BJP, however, downplayed Hegde's comments, labeling them as his personal opinion and clarifying that they did not reflect the party's stance. The Karnataka BJP unit sought clarification from Hegde regarding his remarks.
In a post on X, the Karnataka unit of the BJP said, "MP Ananthkumar Hegde's remarks on the Constitution are his personal views and do not reflect the party's stance. BJP reaffirms our unwavering commitment to uphold the nation's Constitution and will ask for an explanation from Hegde regarding his comments."
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Anantkumar Hegde's remarks were made during an address in Karwar, Karnataka, where he pointed out the need for a two-thirds majority in Parliament to rectify what he termed as distortions and unnecessary additions made to the Constitution by the Congress.
Hegde, known for his controversial statements, has previously sparked controversies with his hardline views.