Nagpur: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a meeting to honour the constitution in Nagpur on November 6, 2024, an organisation named Samvidhan Jagar Samithi launched the ‘Har Ghar Samvidhan’ campaign as part of its ‘Samvidhan Baato’ or ‘constitution distribution’ movement.
‘Har Ghar Samvidhan’ translates to ‘a constitution in every home’.
At a press conference held the day after Gandhi’s visit, members of the Samvidhan Jagar Samithi gathered at Patrakar Bhawan in Nagpur to discuss the campaign’s message and distribution plans.
Addressing the media, Sagar Jadhav stated, “Our organisation will distribute copies of the constitution to every household in Nagpur and later to the entire country. It’s time to inform the nation about who has made changes to the constitution.”
In this door-to-door campaign, the organisation will also be distributing the book titled Congress Yug Mein Samvidhan Ki Hatya (“Congress-era murder of the constitution”), a Marathi pamphlet that focuses on laws enacted during the Congress regime.
Sagar Jadhav, member of of the Samvidhan Jagar Samithi. Photo: The Wire.
When asked what the campaign entails, Sagar said the key points in the Marathi book emphasise that the constitution as drafted by Ambedkar “did not include provisions for the Waqf Board, Muslim Personal Law Board, Minority Board, government funding for madrasas, or salaries for Maulvis.” According to the book, Ambedkar’s original vision upheld equal rights for men and women and did not include Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status. Further, the book alleges that “while the Nehru-Gandhi family’s interpretation of the constitution prohibited Hindus from practicing polygamy, it permitted Muslims to have up to four wives, changing Ambedkar’s original intent.”
This door-to-door ‘Samvidhan’ campaign lends itself to the Mahayuti government’s ‘Ghar Ghar Samvidhan’ campaign which it announced this October, ostensibly to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Indian constitution. A government resolution on this initiative was issued on Mahaparinirvan Day, October 14. The Wire discovered copies of the book Congress Yuga Mein Samvidhan Ki Hatya in BJP offices as well.
A different constitution campaign
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s central plank was the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s threat to the constitution. It is believed to have prevented the BJP from gaining a clear majority.
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ was organised by Yuva Adhikar Manch, an organisation which has been raising the caste census issue over the past six years. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS-BJP of promoting an agenda that undermines the rights of marginalised communities protected by the constitution.
“The RSS knows that if it directly attacks the constitution, it would be defeated within minutes,” Gandhi said, urging the organisation to openly confront the values enshrined in the constitution. He argued that instead of taking a direct approach, the RSS and BJP have adopted covert strategies, using narratives of “development, progress, and economy” to disguise their true intentions. “If they have the courage, they should come forward, and we’ll accept their challenge,” he added.
Meanwhile, Umesh Korram, chief convenor of Yuva Adhikar Manch, said, “We have been demanding this for six years – the government should allocate budgets based on caste demographics and include 50% OBCs in policymaking roles.” Korram and his team met Gandhi on March 13, 2024, during his second Bharat Jodo Yatra, where they discussed the idea of a caste census.
Despite being home to the RSS, the Vidarbha region has historically been a Congress stronghold, only to be breached by the BJP a decade ago. The RSS became less active in Lok Sabha efforts after J.P. Nadda’s statement regarding its political role. However, senior journalist Sudhir Pathak, who covers the RSS, told The Wire that the Sangh has been working on the ground for the Hindutva party long before the election began. “What J.P. Nadda said has now been resolved after the meeting that took place in August-September in Kerala,” he said.
Ahead of the assembly polls in Maharashtra, both the BJP and Congress are focusing on the Vidarbha region, which holds 62 seats, making it crucial for both parties to secure wins here to gain an advantage in their respective alliances. Of the 76 seats where the BJP and Congress face off directly, 36 are in Vidarbha.
