Jairam Ramesh Recalls Ramgarh Session and Targets RSS During CWC Meet

Amid the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Patna, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh invoked the party's landmark Ramgarh session of 1940, highlighting its pivotal role in India's constitutional journey while taking a pointed dig at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for its historical opposition to the Constitution. The extended CWC gathering, attended by permanent and special invitees, chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, and Congress Legislature Party leaders, is focused on strategizing for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections and intensifying attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged electoral malpractices like "vote chori."

Ramesh noted that the Ramgarh session, held in mid-March 1940 in present-day Jharkhand, marked a historic moment when the CWC passed a resolution formally committing the Indian National Congress to establishing a Constituent Assembly. This body would draft a Constitution for a free India, laying the groundwork for the document adopted on November 26, 1949, and effective from January 26, 1950. He referenced a contemporary publication, "Constituent Assembly and Our Demand" by Jai Gopal Narang, which featured a foreword by Jawaharlal Nehru, a staunch advocate for the assembly over nearly a decade. Sharing a screenshot of Nehru's foreword on social media, Ramesh emphasized how this vision shaped modern India.

In a veiled critique of the RSS, which is marking its centenary this year, Ramesh alluded to the organization's "bitter opposition" to the Constitution. Historical records substantiate this stance: RSS chief M.S. Golwalkar criticized the document for deviating from Hindu traditions, particularly the Manusmriti, an ancient text prescribing social hierarchies. Organ of the RSS, the Organizer, in a 1949 editorial titled "Manu Rules Our Hearts," argued that Manusmriti principles still influenced Hindu life despite the Constitution's adoption. The group only pledged loyalty to the Constitution in 1949 after a government ban was lifted, following assurances of allegiance. This opposition extended to rejecting secularism, federalism, and affirmative action for marginalized communities, viewing them as antithetical to a Hindu-centric nation.

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Ramesh's remarks resonate amid ongoing debates, including recent RSS calls to review "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble, which opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi have decried as an attempt to supplant the Constitution with Manusmriti. The Patna meeting underscores Congress's efforts to reclaim constitutional legacy in Bihar, a battleground state with elections due by November 2025. By juxtaposing Congress's foundational contributions against RSS's past, Ramesh aims to galvanize support for the INDIA bloc, framing the polls as a defense of democratic values against perceived ideological threats. The session's outcomes could shape opposition narratives on governance, economy, and electoral integrity.

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