BJP flays Congress on Emergency's anniversary

On the 43rd anniversary of Emergency today, top BJP leaders flayed the Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing it as a "direct attack on our Constitutional ideals" and his Cabinet colleague Arun Jaitley likening erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to Hitler.

BJP president Amit Shah said the Congress had "murdered" democracy for its political interests merely to remain in power as it reduced the Supreme Court to a mute spectator, made Parliament passive and silenced the media.

"It was a black day in Indian democracy," Shah said.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi wrote in a blog that the Emergency, which was imposed in 1975, was the "biggest blot" on the Indian democracy and said a chapter on it should be included in the textbooks to educate younger generations about the "atrocities" committed during the period.

Modi mentioned about to the Emergency as he posted on Twitter two posts written by Jaitley on it.

"Shri Arun Jaitley writes about the dark days of the Emergency, the trampling of personal liberties, excesses committed and how the Emergency was a direct attack on our Constitutional ideals," the Prime Minister tweeted.

He is scheduled to address a BJP event in Mumbai tomorrow in which he is expected to express gratitude towards those who fought against the Emergency and dwell upon conserving the democratic values.

Jaitley today came out with the second installment of his posts on the Emergency.

Drawing a parallel between German dictator Adolf Hitler and Indira Gandhi, Jaitley today said both turned democracy into dictatorship and wondered if Gandhi's decision was inspired by the Nazi Germany.

Jaitley said unlike Hitler, Gandhi went a step ahead by endeavouring to transform India into a "dynastic democracy."
"Both Hitler and Mrs Gandhi never abrogated the Constitution. They used a republican Constitution to transform democracy into dictatorship," Jaitley wrote in the second part of his write up, sub-titled 'The Tyranny of Emergency.'
Hitler continued to maintain that his actions were within the four corners of the Constitution, Jaitley said, adding "Mrs Gandhi imposed the Emergency under Article 352, suspended fundamental rights under Article 359 and claimed that disorder was planned by the opposition in the country."