"Rahul Gandhi trying to protect family, not Constitution," says Shehzad Poonawalla

New Delhi [India], May 14 : Bhartiya Janata Party's spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and claimed that the Congress leader is not trying to protect the Constitution but he is trying to protect his family dynasty.
Speaking with ANI, Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Rahul Gandhi's statement is correct that they are fighting to protect something. But the fight is not to protect the Constitution but family dynasties and the shrinking shop of its politics."
He added, "If he has to say that when his grandmother( former PM Indira Gandhi) imposed an emergency or when she put opposition leaders behind bars, the Constitution was safe, or the Constitution was safe when Rajnath Singh was not given permission to perform the last rites of his mother, then he should talk to his leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Chowdhury says that under the governance of West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, the Constitution is not safe."
Escalating his criticism against the Congress party, Poonawalla asserted, "The Congress claims that the Constitution is at risk under AAP's governance in Punjab, citing the arrest of their leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira. Their special leader KC Venugopal voices concerns when FIRs are lodged against Congress leaders in Kerala, and accuses Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala CM) of endangering the Constitution. While Rahul Gandhi confronts these issues elsewhere, he fosters friendships with them in Delhi. Their priority isn't safeguarding the Constitution, but rather a last try to protect their family legacy."
Slamming the party for talking about reservations based on religion, Poonawalla said, "And one thing is evident, the ones who are talking about reservations based on religion and infringing upon the rights of SC, ST, and OBC communities in states like Karnataka and Telangana, are the ones trying to end the Constitution."
He added, "Rahul Gandhi should give in writing that he will protect the Constitution by not giving reservation based on religion and safeguarding the reservation rights of SC, ST, and OBC communities."
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said that this is the first time that the Lok Sabha elections are being fought to safeguard the Constitution, without which people from various sections of the society will lose their rights.
Rahul Gandhi addressed a joint rally with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi where both leaders attacked PM Modi for neglecting the interests of the farmers.
"For the first time, this fight, this election is to save the Constitution. Whatever you have got, whether you are poor, farmers, labourers, backward, Dalits, adivasis, minorities, poor general caste has been given by this book (Constitution). Without this (Constitution) the poor people of India won't belong anywhere," Rahul Gandhi said speaking at a joint campaign at Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi with INDIA bloc partner, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress party along with Akhilesh Yadav is trying to protect the Constitution.Both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), members of the opposition INDIA bloc addressed a joint rally in support of Pradeep Jain, the Congress candidate from Jhansi.