RSS has moved past its old objections to constitution without Manusmriti, says Tharoor

Amid the ongoing debate over Manusmriti versus the Constitution, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor made a big statement on Saturday, saying that the RSS and BJP have now changed. Tharoor's soft statement towards BJP and RSS has become the centre of discussion in the country's politics. Tharoor also clarified that currently, the RSS has possibly moved ahead of those old ideas, and what they think today, only the RSS can explain better.

The Controversy

RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale had supported the idea of removing words like "socialist" and "secular" from the Preamble of the Constitution. The controversy began just after his statement. Rahul Gandhi responded to Hosabale's remarks on social networking platform X by tweeting that the Constitution talks about justice, equality, and secularism. This is what bothers them. The mask of the RSS has come off.

Rahul Gandhi's Attack on RSS

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the BJP and RSS, alleging that they are not committed to upholding the Constitution but are instead inclined towards Manusmriti. He accused them of attempting to strip the Bahujans and the poor of their rights and push them back into subjugation. "Their true agenda is to dismantle the Constitution, a powerful tool of empowerment," he said. Gandhi asserted that the RSS must abandon such ambitions, emphasising that every patriotic Indian will stand firm to defend the Constitution until their last breath.

Tharoor's Statement: RSS Has Moved Ahead

On this, Shashi Tharoor said, "Historically, he (Rahul Gandhi) is referring to the fact that at the time of adopting the Constitution, such criticism was expressed. Shri Golwalkar had pointed out the omission of Manusmriti in the Constitution as a shortcoming, but I think that the RSS has now moved beyond those days. What they think today, only the RSS can explain better."

Shashi Tharoor's remarks have come at a time when Congress and other opposition parties are accusing the BJP and the Sangh of tampering with the Constitution. Words like "socialist" and "secular" were added to the Constitution during the Emergency in 1976; according to RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, these additions were forcefully inserted.