Our Bureau While President Ramnath Kovind and other dignitaries were addressing a joint session of Parliament on Constitution Day here on Tuesday, about 17 Opposition parties held a protest in front of the Ambedkar statue to protest the Centre’s actions in Maharashtra.

They boycotted Kovind’s address, saying they do not want to hear the speech at a time when the Constitution is facing threats from the BJP-led government.

The Shiv Sena also joined the protest along with Opposition parties such as the Congress, the Left, DMK, SP and NCP. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the protests. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Today, the way the Central government has behaved in Maharashtra, it is not certain that the constitutional norms are safe in the hands of the present establishment,” Singh said when asked about Prime Minister Modi’s speech on the Constitution inside the House.

The Congress alleged that bullies and blackmailers acting as unbridled rulers can’t subjugate constitutional ethos. The party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the soul of the Constitution shall not be mortgaged to an autocratic government “blinded by insatiable lust for power.” While Sonia read out the Preamble of the Constitution during the protest, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi said he is committed to saving the fundamental values of the Constitution. “We salute the contributions made by the members of our Constituent Assembly. We are proud of our Constitution,” he tweeted.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said the the role of money power is increasing in politics to weaken the strength of the people. “To face this money and muscle power, it is important not only to bow our heads before our Constitution, but also pledge to stand by every value the Constitution enshrines. Jai Constitution, Jai Hind,” she tweeted.

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