BJP compares Nehru's governance to Hitler, slams Congress for historical oppression

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi criticised the opposition on Saturday, questioning whether the movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan was considered anarchical. He specifically addressed Akhilesh Yadav, asking “I want to ask Akhilesh Yadav whether his father Mulayam Singh was a part of anarchy?" Trivedi's comments were in response to opposition objections to the NDA government's announcement to observe June 25 as 'Constitution Murder Day.'

During the Lok Sabha elections and even after that, the Congress-led opposition has been campaigning that BJP intended to bring changes in the Constitution if they were to get a brute majority.

Trivedi highlighted that during the Emergency, the fundamental rights of all citizens were abolished, and people could not seek legal recourse if detained by the police. He noted that anyone criticizing Indira Gandhi's government risked imprisonment, with “the entire opposition jailed during this period.” Approximately 1.5 lakh ordinary citizens were imprisoned for 18 months. He also pointed out that “By the 38th and 39th constitutional amendments, the right of judicial review on any decision of the government was abolished. The Preamble of the Constitution was changed... all while the opposition was incarcerated.”

Criticising the Congress, Trivedi stated that Indira Gandhi is the only Prime Minister in Indian history found guilty of election rigging. The Allahabad High Court convicted her of electoral malpractice and corruption, leading to her disqualification. Although the Supreme Court later restored her membership, “But she could not work as an MP. She could not contest elections for six years. She could not participate in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and could not even vote. Then she imposed emergency. The court could not even comment on any decision of the Prime Minister.”

Hitting back at the Gandhi family led Congress govts in the Centre, Trivedi further noted that the first constitutional amendment, limiting freedom of expression, was made by Jawaharlal Nehru's government before the 1951 elections, forcing a distressed Babasaheb Ambedkar to issue a statement “expressing his grief.”

On BJP allegedly targeting opposition leaders, Trivedi compared Nehru’s governance style to Hitler's. He argued that during the Congress regime, true oppression of freedom of expression occurred, citing instances such as poet Majrooh Sultanpuri's two-year imprisonment for criticising Nehru and the banning of Kishore Kumar's songs on All India Radio after he refused to participate in a Congress event.

“The 'murder of the Constitution' happened when Majrooh Sultanpuri was jailed for two years for comparing Pandit Nehru's working style to Hitler. The 'murder of the Constitution' occurred when singer Kishore Kumar's songs were banned on All India Radio after he refused to participate in an event organized by the Congress. When Indira Gandhi came back to power in 1980, all the opposition governments in the states were dismissed.”