Amit Shah accuses Congress of vote bank politics, takes jibe at Rahul Gandhi over 'Mohabbat ki Dukan' slogan

New Delhi [India], December 17 : Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday accused the Congress of vote bank politics and slammed it over some of the amendments made in the Constitution during its rule, noting that the amendments made by the BJP governments are meant to empower citizens.
Speaking at the conclusion of the debate in Rajya Sabha on 75 years of the Constitution, Amit Shah took a veiled dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his accusations that BJP wants to change the Constitution.
He also targeted Rahul Gandhi over his "Mohabbat ki Dukan (shop of love)" slogan, saying that love and affection are not something to be sold in a shop.
"We have also listened to speeches of those talking of opening 'mohabbat ki dukan' in every village. Love is not something to be sold, it has to be spread. It is a feeling, to be evoked in heart, it is a moment to be evoked in others," he said.
He said Congress amended the Constitution 77 times in its 55 years of rule whereas the BJP in 16 years made 22 changes.
"In our Constitution, the Constitution has never been considered immutable... Article 368 has a provision to amend the Constitution... The 54-year-old leader who calls himself 'yuva', keeps roaming around with the Constitution claiming that we would change the Constitution. I want to tell that the provision to amend the Constitution is within the Constitution... BJP has ruled for 16 years and we made 22 changes to the Constitution... Congress ruled for 55 years and made 77 changes," Shah said.
He attacked Congress over some amendments made when Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were Prime Ministers.
"The first amendment was made on June 18, 1951... After the formation of the Constitution, Congress did not have enough patience to wait for the Lok Sabha elections before going to power... Article 19 A was added to curtail the freedom of speech... And Jawahar Lal Nehru was the Prime Minister at that time. The first amendment was to curtail the freedom of expression by former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru. The 24th Amendment was brought by his daughter Indira Gandhi. On November 24, 1971, the Parliament was given the right to reduce the fundamental rights of the citizens," the senior BJP leader said.
He referred to law against triple talaq which was enacted by the Modi government and accused Congress of depriving Muslim women of their rights.
"Congress deprived Muslim women of their rights for years only for vote bank politics. The Modi government freed the country from the mindset of slavery and the NDA government has initiated various initiatives for Muslims, including abolishing triple talaq," he said.
Continuing his attack on Congress, the Union Home Minister said that the people of the country and the Constitution gave a befitting reply to those who said that we would never be able to become economically independent.
"Today, we are the fifth largest economy. We have left the UK behind," he added.
The Union Home Minister attacked Congress over the EVM issue and said that "Congress blamed the EVMs for its defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra and questioned why it did not blame the machines in Jharkhand, where the INDIA bloc won."
The two-day marathon debate in Rajya Sabha on the 75 years of the Constitution started on Monday.
The Lok Sabha held a two-day discussion last week. The winter session of Parliament will continue till December 20.