Elections 2024: 'Rajiv Gandhi had 400+ seats too, but...' Sachin Pilot on Congress's 'BJP to change Constitution' claim

Jaipur: Congress leader Sachin Pilot during ‘Hain Taiyyar Hum’ rally in Nagpur

Congress leader Sachin Pilot has questioned why top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have been ‘forced’ to deny the ‘change the Constitution’ fear being created by some of the party leaders in case the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gets 400+ seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

“This election is not merely about the BJP winning or the Congress winning. It is about what sort of system we want in this country. I am not doing this fear-mongering that some of the people in the BJP alleged that the ‘change in the constitution’ is propaganda. The leaders of the BJP have said this on public platforms. That is why I say, why do the top leaders of the BJP have to deny this charge,” Pilot said in an interview with the news agency ANI.

Pilot, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, said this about the allegation by Congress and other opposition party leaders that the BJP would change the constitution and end reservation if it came to power with more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.  The BJP had denied the charge calling it the opposition’s ‘fear-mongering’ and ‘propaganda’

On May 7, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that the real intent of the BJP is to change the Constitution and end reservation, and that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s leaders are asking for “400-plus” seats. Some of the BJP leaders such as party MP Anantkumar Hegde have said in public forums called for a “rewriting” of the Constitution and said the BJP must win 400 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha to achieve this. The BJP had distanced itself from Hegde’s remarks.

For the ongoing election, the BJP -led NDA, seeking a record third term, has set a target of winning 400 seats. The target for BJP alone is 370 seats. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.

“Let me pose a straight forward question, Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, had a majority of 400+ MPs. Did he ever feel the need to defend and declare that he would not alter the Constitution or end reservations? Did Manmohan Singhji ever make such a statement? So, why is it that the BJP leaders today find it necessary to categorically deny what is being propagated?” Pilot asked.

In the 77-year-long history of Independent India, a party or coalition has won more than 400 seats only once. The Congress party, led by Rajiv Gandhi, won 404 of the 514 Lok Sabha seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha Elections. The 1984 Lok Sabha elections were held after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi’s mother and former Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi.