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Himachal: Emergency was murder of Constitution, says Jai Ram, Cong hits back
Calling the imposition of emergency, the 'dark chapter of democracy', leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday said, 'It was the murder of the Constitution. Such a step was never taken by any democratic government in the world in the past. This is due to one person, her ambitions and becoming bigger than the Constitution of the country,' terming the emergency day as a 'black day'. Himachal leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur (File)
'Emergency was the product of the Congressmen's evil mentality. The country's then Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi, mistook the Constitution of India as the Constitution of Indira,' said former chief minister.
Thakur said, 'Unfortunately, even today the Congress does not accept its wrongdoings. That is why when the Sukhu government came to power, it brought the first Bill in the legislative assembly to stop the 'Loktantra Prahari Samman' amount started by our government.'
'Slogans like 'Indira is India and India is Indira' reflected that mentality of Congress,' former state president and MP Suresh Kashyap said, while speaking at a programme in Baddi.
Kashyap said that the declaration of Emergency in 1975 was not the result of any national crisis, but it was a strategy of a scared Prime Minister to save power, which was imposed due to the challenge posed by the judiciary. 'Indira Gandhi misused Article 352 under the pretext of 'internal disturbance', while at that time there was no war, no rebellion and no external attack, it was just the stubbornness to neutralise the decision of Allahabad high court to cancel Indira's electoral membership and save her chair,' said Kashyap.
Indira Gandhi used the hammer of emergency: Bindal
BJP state president Rajiv Bindal said, '50 years ago, emergency was imposed in India. It was a dark chapter in the history of Independence.'
'Prime Minister of the country, Indira Gandhi, to save her throne, bypassed the decision of the HC and imposed emergency in the country and transformed the whole country into a dictatorship. After 50 years, the whole country should know about that horrific decision,' said Bindal.
Sukhu lashes out at BJP
Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu lashed out at the BJP for observing Emergency Day as a 'black day', saying the BJP was tarnishing the very Constitution that gave it power.
'Congress established democracy and framed the Constitution. Today, BJP is observing 'Murder of Democracy Day' by defaming that very Constitution. It is this Constitution that brought them to power, and now they are disrespecting it,' said Sukhu, taking a direct dig at the BJP's campaign.
