Senior Congress leaders took part in a convention of various Dalit organisations and cautioned that the BJP was out to change the Constitution.
The convention held on the outskirts of the city on Thursday was attended by senior leaders including H.C. Mahadevappa, K.H. Muniyappa, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Harish Gowda, and others.
Mr. Muniyappa said that the Congress believed in inclusive development and has walked the talk by implementing the guarantee schemes in Karnataka. He alleged that the BJP was out to create a wedge among different communities and believed in divide and rule policy.
Mr. Muniyappa said the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had betrayed a step-motherly attitude towards the State and though he has been in power for 10 years, there was no significant development or growth in the country. He said people were disillusioned by the BJP and expressed confidence that the INDIA block would emerge victorious and form the next government at the Centre.
He also accused the BJP of being anti-Constitution and said that if the Constitution was to be saved the BJP had to be defeated in the coming elections.
Mr. Mahadevappa said that the current struggle and fight against the BJP was to save the Constitution which had given dignity to millions of people. He rued that though the country attained freedom 75 years ago, it was only political and there was no social equality. Political freedom devoid of social and economic equality was meaningless, he added.
He alleged that communalism had increased in the country during the 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre and there was a conspiracy to usher in a theocracy by changing the Constitution.
Mr. Yathindra said that the Modi government was functioning as per the dictates of the RSS and it would change the Constitution in case the BJP secured over 400 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP tends to be pro-Dalit during elections but it was conspiring to abolish reservation, he added.
