Dharwad
N Ravikumar, BJP’s chief whip in the legislative council, criticized Congress, stating they have no moral authority to speak on protecting India’s Constitution. He pointed out that during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister in 1975, the Constitution was disrespected when she imposed internal emergency. Ravikumar was speaking at an event organized by Citizens for Social Justice to educate the current generation about the Emergency period.
According to Ravikumar, the imposition of Emergency was unnecessary, triggered by Indira Gandhi’s attempt to secure her position after the Allahabad High Court invalidated her 1971 election to the Lok Sabha. He highlighted that this led to the unprecedented imprisonment of opposition leaders and citizens who opposed the government’s actions from 1975 to 1977.
Ravikumar criticized the Congress for using the Emergency to amend the Constitution extensively, primarily to benefit one individual. He emphasized that these amendments undermined the judiciary, portraying it as an abuse of legislative power.
Regarding recent political rhetoric, Ravikumar accused Congress of spreading false claims that Prime Minister Modi intended to alter the Constitution if re-elected. He clarified that Modi had consistently assured that reservations for SC/STs and OBCs would remain unchanged, dismissing Congress’s assertions as an attempt to deceive voters.
The remarks by Ravikumar underscored BJP’s stance on Congress’s historical actions and its current political strategies ahead of upcoming elections.
