BJP slams Cong chief Kharge over 'undeclared emergency' remark

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday lambasted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the main opposition party is rattled by the observance of 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' as it has brought back the memories of the atrocities committed by the Indira Gandhi government 50 years ago.

Earlier in the day, Kharge hit out at Prime Minister Modi over his jibes on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency and alleged prevalence of an undeclared emergency during his term. The Congress president also slammed the ruling BJP, accusing it of staging Samvidhan Hatya Diwas "drama" to hide its governance failure.

Hitting back, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra condemned Kharge’s remarks against Prime Minister Modi and said the Congress is rattled with the country observing as “black day” the imposition of Emergency by the Indira Gandhi government 50 years ago because it has brought back the memories of the atrocities committed then.

“The erstwhile Congress government had imposed the Emergency without any Cabinet decision. About 1.5 lakh people were put in jail overnight. Power supply to media houses was cut so that newspapers do not publish the truth. Many people embraced death because of the kind of tortures they were subjected to. Such was the situation then,“ Patra told reporters here.

Keeping in mind that history should never be forgotten and that lessons should be learnt from history, the BJP is making efforts to make people aware of the period of the Emergency by presenting its imposition by the erstwhile Congress government as “black day”, he said.

“In such a situation, the Congress is rattled. It’s visible,” Patra said and accused Kharge of mocking the country's democracy by making remarks against Modi government.

How will the Congress understand the "glory" of democracy when there is no democracy in it, he charged.

Last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that the Modi government would observe June 25 as the 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured "inhuman pain" during the period.

On Kharge’s accusation that those with the BJP and the RSS played no role in the country's Independence, he asked the Congress president, “From where Sonia Gandhi’s family and her parents were participating in India’s struggle for freedom? From Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha or West Bengal?” “Who says we did not participate in the freedom struggle? Family members of all those present here, including those speaking, fought for Independence (of India), directly or indirectly,” he added.

Patra said then prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency without cabinet decision just to serve her personal political ambition and to remain in power because a court had declared her election to the Lok Sabha null and void.

“When you (Congress) talk about history, it’s fine. But when we turn the pages of your family’s (Gandhi family) politics and ambition, then you see a drama in it,” he added.

Attacking the Congress over its accusation that the gap between the rich and the poor has widened during Modi’s tenure as the prime minister, Patra said it will send the reports of the UN and World Bank to the party to help it understand how 25 crore people were brought out of below poverty line over the last 11 years.

“Then they will understand the difference between the story of ‘garibi hatao’ slogan given by them and the story of actual eradication of poverty done in the last 11 years,” he added.