New Delhi: In a fierce debate in the Lok Sabha on the 75th anniversary of Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, particularly its past leaders Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi, accusing them of undermining the Constitution to further their political agendas.
PM Modi began by highlighting that the seeds for changing the Constitution were sown by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who, according to Modi, had instructed chief ministers that if the Constitution stood in the way, it should be altered. “Nehru wrote to chief ministers that if the Constitution comes in the way, it should be changed,” Modi said.
Indira Gandhi’s role in clipping judiciary’s power
Modi also took aim at Indira Gandhi, accusing her of misusing the Constitution for political gain. He claimed that she clipped the wings of the judiciary through Constitutional amendments, ultimately leading to the capture of the courts by the executive. “Indira Gandhi clipped the wings of courts through Constitutional amendments to capture the judiciary,” Modi stated, pointing to her attempts to consolidate power during her tenure.
In what was one of his sharpest remarks, Modi accused Indira Gandhi of misusing the Constitution to impose the Emergency in 1975, which he said was a “blatant misuse of power”, He further remarked that several political leaders were sent to jail during the Emergency, yet many of them, he argued, now find it necessary to align with Congress, despite the party’s track record of undermining the Constitution.
Rajiv Gandhi’s controversial move on Shah Bano case
Turning his attention to Rajiv Gandhi, PM Modi criticised the former Prime Minister for overturning a Supreme Court decision in the Shah Bano case. He described this as a “big blow” to the Constitution. “Rajiv Gandhi dealt a big blow to the Constitution by overturning the SC relief to Shah Bano, supported extremist forces,” he said, referring to the controversial 1986 amendment that diluted the Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of a Muslim woman seeking maintenance from her ex-husband.
Prime Minister Modi also accused the Congress party of relentlessly pursuing “wrong thoughts, wrong deeds, and wrong policies”. He expressed that one Congress family—referring to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty—had persistently worked to undermine the democratic framework that the Constitution represents.
