Shiv Sena(UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday (August 3, 2026) responded to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader’s comment calling the protest at Jantar Mantar ‘anti-national’. “How can a protest be anti-constitutional? No protest can be anti-constitutional,” he said.

“The history of the RSS is their ideology. They do not respect the Indian Constitution. They do not respect the tricolour. They do not respect India’s independence. They have never hoisted the tricolour over their office for the last 52 years. They want to create an independent constitution. That’s why they have created a group of 50 MP’s to destroy the Constitution,” Mr. Raut said.

Questioning the protests that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held over the years, Mr. Raut said, “To call a protest anti-national is an insult to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. Then the protests carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party over the last many years fit under which Constitution? The protest by Jayaprakash Narayan in 1975 within which Constitution’s framework? A respected leader of the RSS should tell the country that we, and the BJP, are not ready to respect the Constitution while running this country,” he said.

“The country’s youth gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of a corrupt Education Minister, due to whom 20 students took their lives. If anyone thinks that asking for his resignation is not normal, then this Sangh person’s mentality should be checked,” Mr. Raut said.

“My challenge to the RSS leaders is that they should say whether the agitation at Jantar Mantar was unconstitutional or not, because the statement should be understood,” he added.

RSS leader Atul Limaye had said that the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar should be viewed as a weapon against the Constitution. He said this while addressing activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, earlier this week.

“If we want to become a developed nation, as Bharat Ji said in his speech, we need a significant contribution from our youth. But what kind of youth do we need? What values should they have? What dreams should they pursue? These are questions we must decide very carefully and thoughtfully,” Mr. Limaye said.

“This protest should not be viewed merely from a political perspective or simply as anti-BJP. It should be seen as a protest that has been used as a weapon against the Constitution. It should also be viewed as a protest raised against the nation, against India. We need to understand this force from that perspective,” Mr. Limaye added.

Published - August 03, 2026 02:54 pm IST