Will Priyanka Gandhi Speech Revive Fresh Rhetoric on the Constitution? Congress Strategy Amid Political Turbulence

This comes when in the upcoming debate marking 75 years since the adoption of India's Constitution, it's expected that the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will play the centrestage. Wayanad MP's first speech in Parliament could reshuffle the deck of her party's narrative concerning the Constitution after all what the Congress-led INDIA bloc focused on were social justice and protection of constitutional values.

The Congress party had earlier highlighted the dominance of the BJP and potential threats to the Constitution. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress was able to mobilize Dalit and Scheduled Tribe (ST) voters, warning that the supermajority of the BJP would undermine India's reservation framework. At the time, this focus on the Constitution resonated with many voters and helped push the BJP below the 272 mark.

Six months after their electoral push, Congress sees the Constitution as a critical issue once again, with a heated debate scheduled in Parliament. Priyanka Gandhi’s involvement could signify a shift or continuation of the party’s stance, possibly reinforcing the social justice narrative. Her speech, expected to target the current government’s perceived subversion of constitutional principles, will stand in stark contrast to the BJP’s repeated claims that they uphold the Constitution’s spirit.

The BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, has consistently argued that their government follows the Constitution. Modi has also pointed to the Congress’s past missteps, including its alleged misuse of Article 356 to dismiss state governments. Additionally, BJP leaders have drawn attention to the "dark days of Emergency" under Indira Gandhi’s rule to challenge Congress’s credibility on defending democracy.

Priyanka's speech in Parliament comes at the right time when Congress is to expect that the debate of the Constitution might give its political positioning the much-awaited momentum. The party's narrative is expected to go back on track as this debate in Parliament will only help the party to transform the constitutional commitment of the Bharatiya Janata Party. With the BJP and the Congress ready for a full-fledged showdown, Priyanka Gandhi may well set the tone of the next phase of this political discourse.