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Anurag Thakur accused Congress of hypocrisy, claiming that while the party makes bold statements about protecting the Constitution, it was under their rule the Emergency was imposed
BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur speaks with the media during the Winter session of Parliament on December 14. (PTI photo)
BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Saturday hit back at Congress by recalling the party’s controversial role in the 1975 Emergency under the leadership of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The former union minister accused Congress of hypocrisy, claiming that while the party makes bold statements about protecting the Constitution, it was under their government that democracy was “murdered” through the imposition of the Emergency.
Thakur’s remarks were in response to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier launched a series of charges against the BJP-led Modi government, targeting issues such as unemployment and the deprivation of backward communities over reservations.
While criticising Gandhi’s comments, Thakur mocked his knowledge of the Constitution. “There are some who carry the Samvidhaan (Constitution) in their pockets but can’t tell the numbers of pages,” he said, implying that Gandhi lacked a proper understanding of the document.
Thakur further accused Congress of undermining the Constitution, saying that despite their claims to safeguard its spirit, it was during Indira Gandhi’s tenure that the Emergency was declared.
Watch: BJP MP Anurag Thakur says, “This is the same book that Rahul Gandhi is holding. Sir, let me read it aloud. From earlier years, the legislative and executive branches of the state, on one hand, confronted the judicial branch, on the other, with the accusation that they… pic.twitter.com/Kodhsbu5Xq— IANS (@ians_india) December 14, 2024
“What if not for the sake of the document, Indira Gandhi would have been compelled to end the darkest episode in Independent India by ending the emergency,” he stated while reading from the Constitution in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP leader pointed out that it was the “power of the Constitution” that forced Indira Gandhi to revoke the Emergency.
Thakur further highlighted the Constitution’s “preface and foreword,” noting that it was written by some of the country’s most distinguished minds. He accused Congress of trying to demean their work.
Thakur also referenced the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, remarking, “Congress MP says that the government is fooling the youth and cutting opportunities for them. I want to say that it was the Congress government under which the brutal massacre of the Sikhs took place.”
The second day of the Lok Sabha debate on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution’s adoption saw fierce clashes between the BJP and Congress.
The first day had already witnessed heated exchanges, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi leading the charge against the government, accusing it of failing the youth. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had countered these claims, intensifying the debate between the two sides.
(With inputs from IANS)
