Rahul Gandhi to launch ‘Save the Constitution’ drive today

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will launch his party's nationwide 'Save the Constitution' campaign from today, April 23, aiming to highlight alleged attacks on the Constitution and Dalits under the BJP-led regime.

Seen as the party's effort to reach out to the community ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the campaign launch is expected to be attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, its senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sushil Kumar Shinde among others.

Congress's present and former Dalit lawmakers, those holding offices in Zilla Parishad, civic bodies and panchayat samitis, the party's office-bearers attached to its regional units will also attend the event, aimed at sensitising the attendees on the current state of affairs with regard to the community.

The attendees are expected to take the message forward, holding similar campaigns in states to reach out to the community members, sources said.

The Constitution is under threat in the BJP regime. The community is being denied opportunities in spheres of education and jobs. The programme aims to highlight these issues nationwide," a party leader said.

Dalits form roughly 17 per cent of the country's electorate. There are 84 parliamentary seats reserved for candidates belonging to the scheduled castes. The BJP had bagged nearly half of the seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, reflecting on its success in politically key states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The leader noted that only three-four of those seats were won by the Congress then.