The Bharatiya Janata Party would have begun changing the Constitution if not for the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, in which the Hindutva party failed to get majority seats, said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday in her first speech in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP had secured 240 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the 272-seat majority mark. The party-led National Democratic Alliance had won 293 seats and formed the government at the Centre.

Speaking during a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Vadra said: “The truth is that they are chanting ‘Constitution’ because these elections have made them realise that it is the people of this country who will protect it.”

She added: “By winning after almost losing in this election, they realised that the idea of changing the Constitution will not work in this country.”

The Wayanad MP alleged that the National Democratic Alliance government was weakening the caste-based reservation policy through lateral entry into bureaucracy and privatisation.

“Constitution is a shield that protects the citizens of the country,” said Vadra. “But unfortunately, my colleagues in the ruling party made all the efforts to break this shield in the last ten years.”

The Opposition had accused the BJP of conspiring to change the Constitution in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. This came after at least three BJP leaders – Anantkumar Hegde, Jyoti Mirdha and Lallu Singh – hinted at major changes to the Constitution if the Hindutva party gained a majority in both the Houses of Parliament.

As part of her speech in Lok Sabha, Vadra said on Friday that citizens of the country have demanded a caste census to “know what is the situation of which group, so that policies be made accordingly”.

The reason the ruling alliance is discussing it now is because of the election results, she added.

“When the Opposition demanded this before the Lok Sabha polls, their response was that buffalo and mangalsutra would be stolen,” said the Wayanad MP. “This is their level of seriousness.”

Her statement was in reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s false claims during an election rally in Rajasthan’s Banaswara on April 21.

In his speech, Modi had claimed that the Congress manifesto said it would survey, seize and redistribute private wealth, including the mangalsutras of Hindu women.

The Congress manifesto did not contain any reference to private property being confiscated, let alone the mangalsutras of women.

On Friday, Vadra said that she had seen the prime minister in Parliament for only 10 minutes during the Winter Session.

“The prime minister holds the Constitution to his head, but is not bothered about Manipur or Hathras,” she said. “Perhaps he does not understand that the Samvidhan [Constitution] is not [Rashtriya Swayamsevak] Sangh ka vidhan [legislation].”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the BJP.