Emergency is proof of Congress’ thirst for power: MoS Home Bandi Sanjay

Hyderabad: Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar termed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has surpassed his grandmother and late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in seeking power.

Recalling how Indira imposed an emergency to hold on to power, he said, “Indira Gandhi had imposed an Emergency to retain power on the pretext that foreign powers are playing a role in destabilising and weakening India.

Her grandson Rahul Gandhi travelled to different countries to seek power and has tried to damage the image of the country by shamelessly begging for the intervention of Western countries in India under the guise of 'Democracy is in danger'."

He said that Congress should leave behind its dirty politics and shady deals and stand on the side of the people as the opposition. It should cooperate for a meaningful discussion on public issues in the Parliament and make constructive suggestions and solutions for them, he added.

He said for 21 months from June 25, 1975, democracy was murdered in the name of Emergency, and the voice of the people was silenced.

Sanjay Kumar said that the Emergency stood as proof of the Congress party's thirst for power and an example of how the Congress party does not hesitate to trample upon the Constitution, and people's rights to retain power.

He recalled that opposition leaders, RSS, ABVP and Jana Sangh leaders who fought against the Emergency were put in jails under MESA. Newspapers were censored. The basic human rights and freedoms of the citizens have been taken away. DSP Reddy, Jangareddy, V. Rama Rao, Jupudi Yajna Narayana, PV Chalapathy Rao, Venkaiah Naidu, CH Vidyasagar Rao, Indrasena Reddy, Ashok Yadav and many other ABVP and Jana Sangh activists had fought against emergency in Telugu states.

Congress has a history of arresting Sangh Parivar workers. There was no end to the atrocities committed by Sanjay Gandhi's group during the Emergency, he pointed out.

It is a shame that the people tired of the emergency defeated the Congress. But there was no change in the leaders of that party. As long as the Congress was in power at the Centre, it overthrew the governments of the opposition parties in the states. From 1947 to 2014, Congress misused Article 356 90 times to topple the government of the opposition parties in the states, he added.

“Congress went in to the recent elections spreading false allegations that the BJP would overturn the Constitution and cancel the SC, ST and OBC reservations if it comes to power for a third time. However, the people of the country told the Congress that they could not get votes by spreading false propaganda. Yet, Congress and its leaders did not change,” he pointed out.