Congress Amended Constitution 80 Times During Its Rule: Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the opposition parties were confusing people by claiming that the BJP would change the Constitution if it retained power, but it was the Congress that had brought constitutional amendments 80 times during its rule.

He also alleged that due to the wrong economic policies of the Congress, the people of the country remained poor.

The Minister of Road Transport and Highways was addressing an election rally at Majalgaon town in Maharashtra's Beed district to drum up support for Pankaja Munde, Bharatiya Janata Party's Beed Lok Sabha seat candidate.

"Our opposition has failed to convince people. Therefore it is confusing them. They (opposition leaders) say we (BJP) will change the Constitution. But there is a Supreme Court judgment that says the Constitution cannot be changed and only amendments can be made. So far, the Congress has carried out amendments to the Constitution 80 times," he said.

"We will not stop and continue our work till the last poor person is benefited. People remained poor in this country because of the wrong economic policies of the Congress. We worked for 10 years, but despite being in power for 60 years, the Congress did not do anything. So now, when they cannot contest elections by projecting their work, they are trying to confuse people," Gadkari said.

Gadkari urged the electorate not to vote based on caste or religion in the election.

"Do we think about the doctor's caste when we undergo heart surgery? If you vote for Pankaja, only then can you come to me seeking resolution of the issues of ring road, flyover and service roads here," he said.

Talking about vehicles, he said two-wheelers running on CNG have already been manufactured by several companies.

"The sugar factories will be given the license to establish an ethanol pump for selling fuel for these vehicles. Now, farmers will not only be energy producers, but they will also produce aviation fuel and bio-bitumen out of agricultural waste," he said.

Beed constituency in the Marathwada region will go to polls on May 13. The main contest is between Munde and NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonawane. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)