Seven phases of Lok Sabha elections are over and NDA is getting majority according to exit polls. Now the counting of votes will take place on June 4. This time in the election campaign, the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition raised several issues. However, the issues of Indian constitution and reservation remained the most debated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the slogan "400 Par" at the start of the election. It is natural that if Modi gave the slogan, his party and other parties of the NDA coalition also used this slogan in their election rallies.
BJP leaders and parliamentarians also gave some such statements.
Statements of BJP leaders
Lallusinh, Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad (now Ayodhya) and BJP candidate, said that the government would be formed by getting 272 seats, but two-thirds of the seats are needed to change or revise the constitution.
Senior Karnataka BJP leader and six-time Member of Parliament Anantakumar Hegde said in a statement, “The constitution needs to be redrafted. Congress has distorted the original form of the Constitution by adding unnecessary things. Especially by adding laws that were aimed at suppressing Hindu society. If these laws are to be changed, it is not possible with the present majority.”
However, the BJP ignored his statement and also cut his ticket. A statement by BJP candidate Jyoti Mirdha from Nagaur, Rajasthan also went viral. In a video, Mirdha is seen saying that some tough decisions have to be taken for the interest of the country and for that we have to make some constitutional changes.
The opposition, and especially the Congress, started saying that the BJP wanted to win 400 seats so that it could change the constitution and eliminate reservations for Dalits and OBCs.
Based on the statement of some such BJP leaders, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav and every leader of the opposition started saying that if Modi becomes the Prime Minister for the third time, both the constitution and reservations are at risk.
This slogan of the opposition is really to save the constitution or to attract the Dalit and backward class voters. It is difficult to say, but this issue has been discussed in the election campaign.
SC-ST reservation
Revision of the Indian Constitution is a complex process. Article 368 of the Constitution mentions the power given to Parliament to amend the Constitution and its procedures.
Some amendments in Parliament can be passed with a simple majority. However, some revisions require a special majority (two-thirds).
Apart from this, approval of half of the state legislatures is also required for some amendments, apart from a special majority.
However, the Supreme Court in the famous Bomai case (1994) while defining the basic structure of the Constitution clearly stated that no change can be made in the basic structure of the Constitution.
However, the Indian Constitution has been amended more than 100 times. Most of the researches were done during the Congress government at the Centre. What happened this time that this topic is being discussed? Both incumbent and opposition are using this issue in their election campaign?
Some people feel that all the work of Parliament can be done with a simple majority. Then what work does BJP want in 400 seats?
The opposition has tried to make the same point to show the electorate, especially the Dalit and OBC voters, that the prime minister wants to win 400 seats to change the constitution and end reservations.
Along with this, the question arises whether these claims of the opposition have much effect on the Dalits. Are Dalits really worried that a BJP victory will threaten the constitution and end reservations?
spoke to people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab to find out the answers to these questions.
Vishwajit Chauhan, a resident of Shampur village of Maharajganj Lok Sabha in Chhapra district of Bihar, has done post graduation in English.
Chauhan told the , "People who benefit from reservations have come to the point that the BJP government will end reservations. This has also affected the voting. The biggest reason behind this is the statements made by some senior BJP leaders at different stages to abolish reservation.”
Vikas Kumar, who lives in Maner area of Patna, is a Ph.D. in Magadha University. has been doing.
Kumar said, “There is a consciousness among Dalits that the BJP can reduce or eliminate reservation. This is why the EWS category has been included. The social sting suffered by the people benefiting from the reservation is fear about the future of the constitution and reservation. This will be reflected in the voting pattern.”
However, not all people necessarily think the same way. Although the opposition has accused the BJP of changing the constitution and abolishing reservations, Dalit leaders Chirag Paswan and Jitanram Manjhi are part of the BJP-led NDA coalition in Bihar.
Attitude of Shiv Sena
Uddhav Thackeray in an interview to his mouthpiece Saamna said, “They (BJP) do not like that they have to follow the constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar, who comes from a Dalit society. That is why BJP is trying to change the constitution.”
A discussion about this is also being seen in Mumbai. Dalit activist Jitendra Nickeljee told the BBC, “Some people think that this issue has arisen because of the elections. However, that is not true. Dalits have this fear for a long time.”
“. This is why Dalits are also forced to think that what will happen if the rights of Dalits are taken away? It is impossible to change the constitution, but it cannot be denied that there is fear among Dalits about it.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a government official said, “Thousands of copies of the Constitution are sold in Mumbai on December 6 every year. Dalits know that the rights they have got are Dr. Ambedkar and the Constitution framed by him have given. This is why the people of the Dalit community get aggressive whenever there is a question of changing the constitution.”
Coming from a Dalit community, Sachin Magade works as a manager in a hotel. They believe that political parties want to take political advantage of Dalit sentiment towards the Constitution.
Magade said, “Political parties know that we the people are politically aware only because of Babasaheb and the Constitution. This is an emotional issue. Dalits come together because of this spirit. No one can change the Constitution.”
Arjun Dangle, a social activist and writer who has worked on Dalit issues for a long time, said, “This is an important issue for them (Dalits) as far as the Dalit voters of Maharashtra are concerned. It is a false assumption that the oppressed people follow their leaders. This time it's different."
According to Arjun Dangle, BJP MP from Karnataka Anantakumar Hegde's "statements about 400 Pars and the Constitution" caused more discussion among Dalits.
Senior political analyst Dr. Suhas Palshikar said, “This issue will definitely affect Dalit voters. Unfortunately in our society it is believed that the issue of Ambedkar and the Constitution is limited to Dalits only. That is why it has become such an emotional issue for Dalits.”
33 percent of the total population of Punjab comes from the Dalit community. Out of the total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, the number of Dalit voters in some seats is more than 40 percent.
Professor Muhammad Khalid of Punjab University told correspondent Arshdeepkorn, “It is a long process to change the constitution or abolish reservation. I would say it is almost impossible, because it also requires the permission of the states to do it.”
However, Khalid said that if Dalits feel that reservation may end, it will definitely affect their voting pattern.
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