June 25, 2015
NEW DELHI – The Congress on Thursday accused the government of imposing an "undeclared emergency" in the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the Emergency era as one of the "darkest period" in India's history on its 40th anniversary.
June 25, 2015
NEW DELHI – The Congress on Thursday accused the government of imposing an "undeclared emergency" in the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the Emergency era as one of the "darkest period" in India's history on its 40th anniversary.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi with party vice president Rahul Gandhi before a CWC meeting at party headquarters in New Delhi. (PTI photo)
Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza's attack on the Modi government also comes in the backdrop of a series of statements by NDA ministers on Emergency imposed in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
"The suit-boot government working at the Centre has in a way imposed an undeclared emergency in the country. And leaders of the party like Lal Krishna Advani have expressed similar kind of opinion and fear. He does not trust the leadership that an emergency won't be declared in the country," Oza said.
Advani's statement a few days back that "forces that can crush democracy are stronger" created a buzz in political circles leading to speculation that it was a barb aimed at Prime Minister Modi but RSS dismissed it while Congress and other BJP rivals shared his concern.
Congress and other rivals of BJP utilized the statement given by Advani in an interview to target Modi and accused the government of undermining Parliament and other institutions.
Oza added that similarly another senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha expressed his opinion that in his party veterans were declared "brain dead". "So this clearly that shows seniors leaders of BJP also admit somewhere that undeclared emergency has been imposed," she said.
Stepping up attack on the government on 'Lalitgate', Oza said, "This is BJP's real face. They help corrupt and absconders. They protect people like Vasundhara Raje so that their truth does not come out in front of country's officers."
Oza, whose party had been targeting Union minister Nihalchand over a rape case, said, "They help those who have been accused of rape. So all this shows that they are a party with a difference. Be it any allegation, they never suspend any leader of their party."
PM Modi said India was placed under Emergency 40 years ago "for the sake of power" and the event which "cannot be forgotten" was the "darkest period" in our history. "Forty years ago, lakhs of people were imprisoned, the press was censored and the radio only spoke what the government wanted," said Modi. "June 25-26 cannot be forgotten in the history of India. Forty years ago, the nation was placed under Emergency for the sake of power," Modi said.
Courtesy: PTI
