Mumbai, Jun 26 (UNI) Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole on Monday severely criticised the ruling BJP for allegedly inciting the country’s youth in the name of Emergency and said that it had no right to speak on this issue.
Talking to reporters at party head office here, he said that BJP should first do a thorough study of the circumstances under which Emergency was imposed by former prime minister late Indira Gandhi on June 25,1975.
In 1975, the US-Vietnam War was ongoing, he said and alleged that at that time, some people were conspiring to end democracy in the country.
“If Indira Gandhi had not imposed emergency, there would have been no democracy in the country,” he averred.
“However, after 18 months, Ms Gandhi lifted emergency and held elections. Democracy survived because Ms Gandhi was the guardian of democracy,” he said and pointed that the Congress party later apologised for the Emergency.
“But what is happening in the country now. The situation is dire than it was during Emergency. Both democracy and the Constitution are being set aside,” he noted.
The MPCC chief asked BJP to first talk about the undeclared emergency in the country since last nine years and said that action is being taken against those who speak against the (Narendra) Modi government at the Centre.
The central government was misusing its agencies to suppress the opposition and those who speak against it were being harassed, he added.
