Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Tuesday said the "Congress was destroyed because of the nepotism".
"A party as old as the Congress was destroyed because they killed the internal democracy and established nepotism. I am the president of a party where elections are held every three years and a person who puts up posters can become the president," Shah said.
Recalling the Emergency period that was imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi, he said, "People who talk about independence today don't remember the time when their ancestors ruled and how the freedom of newspapers was curbed back then. Akashvani was made 'Congresswani'."
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country remembers the Emergency as a 'dark period', during which every institution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created.
The Prime Minister also saluted the courage of those who steadfastly resisted the Emergency, which was imposed 43 years ago.
"India remembers the Emergency as a dark period during which every institution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created. Not only people but also ideas and artistic freedom were held hostage to power politics," Prime Minister Modi said in a series of tweets.
The Emergency, which is considered to be one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history, was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from June 25, 1975, to 1977.