New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticized Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Odisha on Friday, calling his “Constitution Bachao Samvaad” event nothing more than a political tour to save himself and his party. In a post on X, Pradhan said, “This was not a campaign to save the Constitution, but to save Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party.”
Pradhan said that Rahul Gandhi’s visit was aimed at covering up Congress’s repeated election failures, especially after losses in states like Maharashtra and Haryana. He accused Congress of trying to shift blame onto democratic institutions and the Election Commission instead of accepting defeat. “Rahul Gandhi’s situation now is like the saying, ‘a bad workman blames his tools’,” he wrote.
राहुल गांधी और कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष मल्लिकार्जुन खड़गे जी द्वारा भुवनेश्वर, ओडिशा में आयोजित संविधान बचाओ रैली दरअसल कांग्रेस के शहज़ादे का एक और राजनीतिक पर्यटन था। यह ‘संविधान बचाओ’ नहीं बल्कि ‘ राहुल गांधी और कांग्रेस बचाओ’ समावेश है। ओडिशा में भाजपा की जनहितैषी सरकार के प्रति…
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 11, 2025
People of Odisha rejected Congress decades ago: Pradhan
Pradhan further said that Congress has no relevance or base in Odisha anymore. “The people of Odisha, the poor, Dalits, tribals, farmers, and laborers, rejected Congress decades ago,” he said. According to him, the trust of the public in BJP government of Odisha has caused worry for Congress.
Accusing Congress of historically ignoring the rights of the poor and weaker sections, Pradhan alleged that money sent from Delhi during Congress rule used to be looted by middlemen, and benefits meant for SC, ST and OBC groups were often diverted for Congress’s vote banks. He said, “The rights of the poor and the land of the tribals remain safe only as long as Congress is out of power.”
He also attacked Congress for lecturing about the Constitution despite the party’s own record of imposing Emergency and “crushing democracy.”
Rahul Gandhi slams BJP during Odisha visit
During his visit to Bhubaneswar, Rahul Gandhi addressed the Constitution Bachao Samvaad and launched a scathing attack on the BJP government in the state. He alleged that billionaire businessman Adani runs the government and that even the sacred Jagannath chariots were stopped for him.
He said, “The poor and Dalits have no place in the government. The first step should be a caste census. Only then will the poor and Dalits understand their true power.” Gandhi claimed the Odisha government is working to snatch the wealth of the state from its poor and tribal population.
Gandhi further said that earlier the BJD government was doing this, and now the BJP government is continuing the same practice. He described the political situation as a fight between the poor, Dalits, tribals, farmers, and laborers, and a handful of billionaires who are backed by the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi said only Congress workers and the people of Odisha can win this fight together.