Congress leader alleges 'conspiracy' by Centre to reduce minorities to 'second-class' citizens

Patna: Senior Congress leader Mohan Prakash on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre of a “conspiracy” to reduce religious minorities and other weaker sections of the society to “second-class citizens”.

The AICC in-charge for Bihar made the remarks at the party's state headquarters here, while addressing a function organised on the occasion of Constitution Day.

Prakash also hailed the recent Supreme Court verdict, which upheld the words "secular" and "socialist", inserted into the Preamble by an amendment brought during Indira Gandhi's Prime Ministership.

"The BJP is today shedding crocodile tears on the Constitution. But the fact is, the party's leader Subramanyam Swamy had challenged the validity of the Constitutional amendment. Now, Modi must utter a word or two on the matter,” the Congress leader said.

"There appears to be a conspiracy by the government to make SCs, STs, Muslims, Christians... all weaker sections second-class citizens,” he alleged.

Prakash reminded Congress workers of the role played by party leaders of previous generation, especially those from Bihar like late Sachchidanand Sinha, in drafting the Constitution and remarked, "we must prove to be worthy inheritors of the legacy handed over by our ancestors".

Speaking at the same function, state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh made mention of the initial antagonism towards the Constitution of the RSS.

"Is it not true the then RSS chief M S Golwalkar had condemned the Constitution, calling it a patchwork of things borrowed from other countries that was being imposed on India?” Singh said.

The Rajya Sabha MP pointed out "this attitude of the RSS had led the then Union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to impose a ban on the organisation, which was lifted only after the RSS leadership tendered an apology and promised to abide by the Constitution".