BJP Using Nationalism As Weapon To Divide People, Says Sharad Yadav

The Narendra Modi government is using nationalism as a "weapon" to divide people and it believes in "we the BJP people" to be part of the Constitution and not "we the people of India", opposition leader Sharad Yadav said on Friday.

Addressing the national executive of the Loktantrik Janata Dal, of which he is the patron, Sharad Yadav alleged that the BJP has deployed the plank of nationalism to paint those who attacked students in JNU as patriots while the victims have been criticised, and has been using it to divide society on religious lines.

He said the Constitution was never under so much danger as it is now as the ruling BJP after retaining power has launched a strong attack on its core values.

"The BJP does not believe in ''we the people of India'' but in ''we the BJP people of India'' as part of our Constitution. It is using the issue of nationalism as a weapon. It wants to divide people on Hindu and Muslim lines. But student protests have showed that its efforts have failed," Sharad Yadav said.

The preamble of the Constitution begins with the assertion, "We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic..."

Referring to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and other citizenship measures, Sharad Yadav asserted that the amended citizenship law, National Population Register and the planned National Register of Citizens are linked while claiming that India was never so restless in a long time as it is now.

He asked the party's workers to fight for the Constitution, saying the poor got a say in the affairs of the country only after 1947 due to the values encapsulated by the Constitution, which was adopted in 1950.