Dhankhar’s remarks against Constitution 'dangerous signal for future', says Sitaram Yechury

Strongly objecting to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s remarks against the basic structure of the Constitution, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said his arguments are a “dangerous signal for future”, as it amplifies exactly what the RSS intends to do, which is to change the character of the Indian Republic into a “fascistic Hindutva Rashtra”.

Yechury said the Vice President must understand that it is the Constitution that established the Parliament and if there is anything supreme, it is the Constitution. He has taken oath on the Constitution and not Parliament, he said.

Dhankhar, who is also Rajya Sabha Chairman, on Wednesday said in Jaipur that the Kesavananda Bharati case verdict, which enshrined the basic structure doctrine, has set a wrong precedent. He also disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling that Parliament can amend the Constitution but not its basic structure.

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“In order to protect the Constitution, the basic structure argument evolved. Any majoritarian government can undermine the Constitution through an amendment. So this argument of Dhankhar is a dangerous signal for the future. He said what exactly RSS intends to do – that is changing the character of the Indian Republic as established by the Constitution into a fascistic Hindutva Rashtra,” Yechury told DH.

“As long as the basic structure remains, the RSS cannot be successful in implementing its political project. That is why there is targeting of the Constitution,” he said.

Yechury, also a former Rajya Sabha MP, said the Constitution unambiguously makes it clear that the sovereignty of India wrests in the hands of the people and that is why the Constitution starts with “We The People” and ends by saying we adopt the Constitution.

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He said sovereignty is with the people, who exercise this sovereignty through elected representatives. Elected representatives form governments depending on numbers and the government is accountable to Parliament and Parliament in turn to the people.

“This is the chain of how the people exercise their sovereignty. If you elevate Parliament above the Constitution, it will then negate people’s sovereignty, which is a violation of the basic structure of the Constitution,” he said.