'Congress inciting Dalits on constitution review'

By Our Staff Reporter

BHOPAL, APRIL 14. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and national spokesperson of the party, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, today lashed out at the Congress Party and said it was trying to incite the sentiments of Dalits by describing the present exercise to review the Constitution as an emotional issue.

Addressing newsmen here today, Ms. Swaraj said that those who were criticizing the Constitution review exercise were only trying to misguide the people of this country. Everyone knows that the Constitution cannot be amended merely by reviewing it, she stated, adding that for this purpose it was necessary to secure approval of both Houses of Parliament and also a two- thirds majority.

Ms. Swaraj categorically stated that the Centre lacks the strength needed for amending the Constitution.

The country, she said, is celebrating this year the 50th anniversary of the Indian Republic. Three years ago, while celebrating the golden jubilee of our Independence, we had gone through an extensive exercise to assess our achievements and drawbacks, she said.

The Constitution review exercise that has been entrusted to legal luminaries and constitutional experts should also be viewed in the same perspective, she said emphasising that the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government is clear that the basic structure of the Constitution shall not be disturbed under any circumstances nor would any thought be given towards replacing the parliamentary form of Government with any alternative system.

Ms. Swaraj said that despite the Government's clear cut position, the Congress is trying to mislead the people by trying to observe Ambedkar Jayanti as ``Save Constitution'' day.

She also pulled up the Congress for projecting that through the Constitution review exercise an effort is on to do away with reservations.

To a pointed query, she admitted that the role of money power in elections is a problem that afflicts all political parties. The Election Commission will have to play a far greater role in this regard than the political parties, she asserted.

To another query, she said that from the BJP's point of view the issue of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and Kashmir (concerning its special status) were not emotional but political issues.

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