No one has right to change Constitution: Teesta Setalvad

Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad said that no one has the right to change the Constitution of India.

"People will teach a befitting lesson to those who have issued statements on changing constitution," she warned.

Speaking at the national meet on the occasion of completion of 15 years of Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike in Chikkamagaluru on Thursday, she said that the Constitution upholds the rights of all and voices the aspirations of Dalit, minority and labour communities. People have not given power to anyone to change the Constitution.

Mevani's victory

Teesta further said that, in Gurajat, social and cultural oppression is going on for the last 22 years, in the name of Hindutva. "But, now, such influences are getting weaker. The victory of Jignesh Mevani in the recent Assembly elections in Gujarat is evident to this fact. Jignesh was a part of the 'Chalo Gujarat' movement," she pointed out.

"His victory is not his alone but the victory of the movement. Many leaders like Jignesh will emerge in the days to come. The revolution should take place in Karnataka as well," she said.

Sedition cases

She criticised the government for slamming sedition cases leaders in the country merely because they had raised their voices for human rights.

Teesta said that the Komu Souharda Vedike has kept alive the social movement, even in challenging social conditions during the last 15 years. The programmes like Souharda Mantapa should be organised in every village, she suggested.

The people who sacrificed their lives for communal harmony in the last 15 years were paid respect on the occasion.