Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo on Friday dismissed ‘Samvidhan Bachao Rally’ by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Bhubaneswar as a ‘political theatre’.
“What unfolded in Bhubaneswar under the banner of the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Rally’, led by Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, was not a solemn defence of constitutional values—it was political theatre in its most familiar form,” he wrote in a long post on X.
He termed the rally as a desperate bid to mask the party’s repeated electoral losses.
The Deputy CM also called out Congress’ hypocrisy on democracy and the Constitution. “Ironically, the party that now claims to “save the Constitution” is the very one that has amended it more than any other—not always in the spirit of strengthening democracy, but often to serve narrower political ends. There’s a difference between evolving institutions and eroding them,” he wrote.
He further asserted that people in Odisha can see through their hollow rhetoric.
KV said Odisha has embraced transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Every policy is a promise honoured. Every rupee reaches its rightful beneficiary. This is not just development—it’s dignity delivered.”
Reiterating Congress’s disconnect with Odisha’s marginalised communities, he said: “As Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha, I speak with the clarity born of public trust. The truth is, Odisha’s poor, Dalits, Adivasis, farmers, and working class distanced themselves from Congress years ago—because Congress had already distanced itself from their realities.”
He stressed that Odisha’s voters prioritise progress over gimmicks. “Thotha chana baje ghana”—empty declarations echo loudest. But the people of Odisha vote not on noise—they vote on merit. And they continue to choose progress over posturing.”
Earlier in the day, the BJP had called the rally a ‘Congress Bachao Samabesh’ (Save Congress Rally), suggesting it’s an effort to salvage the party’s existence amid its weakening organisation.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader Biranchinarayan Tripathy pointed out Congress’s declining vote share and failure to secure triple-digit MP seats in the last three general elections. He claimed Congress amended the Constitution, including its Preamble, multiple times and undermined it during the 1975 Emergency, jailing opposition leaders. In the same breath, he praised the Modi-led government for supporting Odisha with financial aid and development initiatives, unlike the Congress-led government under Manmohan Singh, which he accused of dismissing Odisha’s needs.
He also demanded an apology from Kharge for his allegedly disrespectful reference to President Droupadi Murmu, an Odia tribal leader, as “Murma ji.”
