"No One Has Power To Change Constitution": Tejashwi Yadav Hits Out At BJP

Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly speaking about amending the Constitution saying that the ruling party does not have the power to do so since the Constitution was writen by Baba Saheb Ambedkar and not by any "random Baba".

"The leaders of the BJP are speaking of finishing the Constitution again and again. It is a Constitution written by Baba Saheb Ambedkar, not by some random Baba. No one has the power to change it. They are not capable of doing it," Mr Yadav said speaking at a INDIA bloc rally at Ranchi.

Mr Yadav said that the BJP will be punished by people if they speak of "finishing the Constitution."

"In Bihar as well, their ministers and candidates are saying constantly that they will finish the Constitution. The people of the country will finish you if you speak about finishing off the Constitution," the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said.

Commenting at the massive crowd that had gathered for the opposition bloc rally in Ranchi, Mr Yadav said, "Jharkhand has made up its mind that they want to drive out the BJP and save the nation. Drive out the BJP and save the country's Constitution, save democracy, save Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb."

Tejaswi Yadav, son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav said that all the leaders of the opposition parties have assembled to talk about peoples' issues and promise a government that will solve their day-to-day problems.

"We have not come here to talk about PM Modi but to talk about issues. The issues are education, medicine, employment, irrigation and to give a government that listens to your problems and solve them," Mr Yadav said.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly using the central investigation agencies to target opposition leaders, Yadav said that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), the Income Tax (IT) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are BJP's "son-in-laws".

"The government in Jharkhand was working effiiciently but PM Modi could not tolerate it. That it why he used his investigation agencies which are his party's cell. The ED, IT and CBI are the BJP's three son-in-laws," the RJD leader said.

Hitting out at the BJP, Mr Yadav said that the opposition is not afraid of being in jail because even Lord Krishna was born in jail.

"Using these (central investigative agencies), they put Hemant Soren in jail, Sanjay Singh has just been released from jail and Kejriwal was sent to jail. Before that, my father was sent to jail, there are also many cases against me. However, no leader from our alliance fears the BJP. Do they even know that our Lord Krishna was born in jail?"

Attacking the BJP over electoral bonds, Mr Yadav said that the ruling party received crores through the now-scrapped electoral financing scheme through Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not fulfil any of his promises.

"...PM Modi has only increased poverty, increased inflation and did 'jumlabazi'...You did not get any money in your account as promised but the BJP has received thousands of crores through electoral bonds," Mr Yadav said.

Calling out Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly lying to the people about his poll promises, Mr Yadav said, "PM Modi speaks so many lies that he calls cowdung, halwa. BJP means 'Barta Jhoota Party' (party of increased level of lies)."

Mr Yadav proposed that if Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh votes against the BJP unitedly, then PM Modi will not be able to come to power at the Centre.

"PM Modi fears the INDIA bloc. He talks about '400 paar'. His '400 paar' film was superflop in the first phase of the election. Now no one his coming to his rallies. People have caught his lies. The day when Bihar, Jharkhand and UP which has 134 seats in total, fight together BJP will not be able to come to power," the senior RJD leader said.

Elections will be held in Jharkhand in four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 12 seats in Jharkhand, with the BJP winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each.

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