Indian Constitution won't be altered in Narendra Modi's regime: Ramdas Athawale

Union minister and RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale Tuesday said his party has "differences" with the RSS on the issue of Hindutva but not with "Ambedkarite" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and trashed the opposition's allegation that the Centre will alter the Constitution. Athawale said the BJP and other parties were not "anti-Dalit", but added efforts should be made to punish those who commit atrocities on the community.

Athawale began his electoral career as an ally of the Congress, then switched to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In 2009, he switched back to the Congress to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the temple town of Shirdi, which had become a reserved constituency. He lost and switched to the Shiv Sena hoping to be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha. He finally got the nomination from the BJP, which made him a minister of state for social welfare believing Athawale could deliver the bulk of the Dalit votes from Maharashtra.

Minister of State for Social Justice Athawale also claimed the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, will not be able to win a single seat in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls. "The BJP supports the ideology of Babasaheb (BR Ambedkar). The RSS too supports the ideology of Babasaheb. But we do have differences with the RSS on the issue of Hindutva," Athawale said during an interaction with BBC News Marathi here.

"But there are absolutely no differences with Narendra Modi who is an Ambedkarite. He (Modi) says he would not have become prime minister had Babasaheb's Constitution not been there," Athawale added. Referring to Modi's statement, Athawale said the prime minister was not for changing the Constitution as is often alleged by some opposition parties including the Congress.

"The Congress and the NCP have no other issue left but to allege that Modi will change the Constitution," Athawale said. To drive home his point that the BJP was not "anti- Dalit", Athawale listed works the Central government carried out to preserve the ideology of BR Ambedkar, including its efforts to set up a memorial of the Dalit icon in Mumbai.

Earlier Athawale claimed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP President Amit Shah had promised to accommodate two members of his party in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and adjust both in the state government on a rotation basis for six months each.