Pune: Union minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday criticised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that he was fighting the "Indian state" and said the opposition party was exposed by his controversial statement. Scindia said it was terrorists and Naxals who were fighting against India. He hit out at Gandhi for his remarks attacking the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

'Congress-led governments responsible for 70% of amendments to the Constitution in 75 years'

Addressing the 'Samvidhan Gaurav Abhiyan' programme in Pune, Scindia said Congress-led governments were responsible for 70 per cent of the amendments made to the Constitution in the last 75 years. "Look at the words used by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha yesterday. He said he was fighting the 'Indian State'. If you are a citizen of India, what does it mean to be at 'war with the Indian polity'?" Scindia said, "Will you wage a war on the Indian Constitution? Imagine, who fights against India. Terrorists, Naxalites fight against India. We don't need to say much, because they (Congress) have exposed themselves (with Gandhi's remarks)."

'Congress has always used the Constitution to gain power'

Taking a dig at the Congress, the Union minister said there is a party which has always used the Constitution to gain power. On the other hand, there is a party which is committed to the development and welfare of India, the Lok Sabha member from Guna said, referring to the BJP. "106 amendments have been made in the Constitution in the last 75 years. 70 per cent of these 106 amendments happened during the Congress rule. They brought the first amendment in the first four years of Independence itself," he said. Scindia alleged that the Congress brought the first amendment to curb the rights of artists and the press. "In 1971, they tried to change the Constitution of India into Indira's Constitution," the BJP leader claimed.

Read Rahul Gandhi's full statement here

Citing the recent assembly elections, Gandhi on Wednesday raised questions about the transparency in the electoral process and said that his fight is not only with the BJP and RSS but also with the 'Indian State'. After inaugurating the party's new headquarters, the former Congress president also claimed on Wednesday that there is a serious problem in India's election system. Addressing party leaders at the Congress' new headquarters 'Indira Bhavan', Gandhi said, "Don't think that we are fighting a fair battle. If you believe that we are fighting only against a political organization called BJP and RSS, then it is not so... because they have captured almost every institution of our country.