Cong amended Constitution but accuses BJP of plans to change it: Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said the Congress made amendments to the Constitution when in power but makes an emotional pitch now that the BJP will make changes to it reported news agency PTISpeaking at multiple campaign rallies in Wardha district of Vidarbha region on Saturday ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections Gadkari also said the BJP is a party of workers while the Congress indulges in dynastic politics reported PTIThey make an emotional pitch that if the BJP gets 400 seats in the Lok Sabha the Constitution will be changed They lie he said at Deoli reported PTIAs per the Supreme Court judgement in the Kesavananda Bharti case the salient features of the Constitution cannot be changed said the Union road transport and highways ministerThe Congress government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had amended the Constitution he saidThey changed the Constitution and they blame us The Janata Party rectified it How many times was the Constitution amended during Indira Gandhis tenure But the Congress does not want to respond to this the BJP leader said reported PTISpeaking at a rally in the Arvi assembly constituency in the district Gadkari said that had the Congress given priority to rural India farmers would not have died by suicide and there would have been less poverty in villagesThe BJP is neither a party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Nitin Gadkari but it is a party of workers who dedicated their lives to it the Union minister said hailing the contribution of party workers in his political journeyThe BJP is a party of its workers Here a PM is not born to another PM MP is not born to an MP MLA is not born to an MLA he said reported PTIThe Nagpur MP recalled his days as a party worker when he visited the Wardha district on a scooter riding tripleseatVidarbha or eastern Maharashtra elects 62 of the states 288 MLAsIn 75 years of Indias history the Congress never gave priority to the development of the countrys rural areas There were no roads in villages and no drinking water Congress never seriously thought of the development of rural India Had rural India got priority farmers would not have committed suicide there would not have been poverty in the villages the Union minister said reported PTIThe former BJP chief said the Congress gave a call to eradicate poverty but it did not happen in realityGadkari also said he was not opposed to reservations but would never use religion and caste for politicsThose who are socially economically and educationally backwards should get a reservation to become economically and educationally capable he addedSpeaking at a rally in the Wardha assembly constituency Gadkari claimed that in the last 10 years his ministry pumped about Rs 20000 crore in various projects in the Wardha district aloneHe also argued that there was a deterioration in the level of politicsWith inputs from PTI