Key Points

Through a post on social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS of harbouring deep discomfort with the foundational ideals of the Indian Constitution -- equality, secularism, and justice -- and trying to erode them from within.

"The mask is off," he declared, stating that the RSS and BJP are not merely indifferent to the Constitution but actively hostile toward it.

He asserted that their preferred vision for India is guided by the Manusmriti -- an ancient Hindu text -- as opposed to the inclusive and egalitarian spirit of the Constitution crafted by B.R. Ambedkar.

This sharp rebuke came at a time when the RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale called for a "debate" on whether the words "Secular" and "Socialist" should remain in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

These terms were added during the 42nd Amendment in 1976 under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi-led Congress government, amid the Emergency period.

Critics argue that this context casts doubt on their legitimacy, while supporters see them as fundamental to the nation's moral and political fabric.

The Congress, quick to respond, accused the RSS of nurturing a long-term plan to undo Ambedkar's democratic blueprint.

Rahul Gandhi has often returned to these ideological divides, raking up Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar's writings, which suggested that the Constitution was not rooted in Indian tradition.

Quoting Savarkar, the Congress leader recently reminded the Parliament that some leaders of the Sangh believed "Manusmriti" should replace the Constitution as the nation's guiding document.

While the BJP dismissed the remarks as mere political posturing, Rahul Gandhi's message has struck a chord with activists, Dalit organisations, and voices within the opposition parties already concerned about attempts to roll back constitutional protections.

- IANS