Indira Gandhi was like Hitler — Jaitley
Union minister says the script of Emergency was well thought out
Slamming the Congress party for imposition of Emergency in 1975, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday likened then prime minister, the late Indira Gandhi to German dictator Adolf Hitler and said both imposed Emergency in their respective countries claiming that their actions were “constitutional”.
“Both Hitler and Mrs Gandhi never abrogated the Constitution. They used a republican Constitution to transform democracy into dictatorship. Hitler arrested most of the opposition Members of Parliament and converted his minority government in Parliament into a two-third majority government. Mrs Indira Gandhi arrested most opposition Members of Parliament and, therefore, procured, through their absence, a two-third majority of members present and voting and enabling the passage of several obnoxious provisions through Constitution amendments,” Jaitley said in a series of tweets.
Gandhi imposed Emergency on June 25, 1975 on account of international disturbances. She suspended key fundamental rights of the citizens guaranteed under the Constitution.
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaitley said while Hitler had announced a 25-point economic programme, Gandhi came up with 20.
“To cover up the gap of five, Gandhi’s son Sanjay Gandhi announced his five-point economic and social programme. Dissent became a sin and sycophancy the rule. Film actors and singers and playback singers were asked to join Youth Congress and its allies. If they refused, the then Information and Broadcasting Minister Vidya Charan Shukla would threaten them. Kishore Kumar, the noted playback singer, was blacklisted by All India Radio and his songs were never played on All India Radio for refusing to sing at Youth Congress rallies,” he said.
The union minister said the script of Emergency was well thought out in advance.
“Was this script inspired by what happened in Nazi Germany in 1933,” he questioned adding that unlike Hitler, Gandhi went ahead to transform India into a dynastic democracy.