If there were an undeclared emergency, Congress leaders would be in jail: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju
Shimla: If there were an undeclared emergency in the country, as Congress leaders claim, every Congress member criticising the govt would be in jail, Union parliamentary affairs minister
Kiren Rijiju
said on Thursday. He added that in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
's govt, the opposition's only agenda seems to be criticising the PM from morning till night.
Addressing a press conference here, he added that a proposal was passed in a cabinet meeting, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which stated, "Democracy was murdered during the emergency". The cabinet meeting emphasised that India, as the mother of democracy, is the embodiment of preserving, protecting, and defending constitutional values. He mentioned that the govt and the party will work to ensure this proposal reaches every citizen because keeping democracy alive is the responsibility of each individual towards the nation.
Rijiju was accompanied by the BJP state president Rajeev Bindal, leader of opposition Jairam Thakur, and Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap.
Rijiju highlighted that during the emergency in the Congress regime, prominent leaders were imprisoned, and the freedom of the common man was taken away, the independence of the media and judiciary was curbed. The then govt wanted the judiciary to be devoted to one family, reflecting the Congress govt's stance at the time that one family should rule the country, leading to the demise of democracy, claimed Rijiju.
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He slammed the Congress, stating that today the opposition is roaming around with a small book, pleading to save the Constitution. He reminded them that when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, he launched a campaign to raise awareness about the Constitution, which later led to the celebration of Constitution Day on Nov 26. Before this initiative, the day was not officially observed in the country, he added.
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