BJP & Congress Train Guns At Each Other Over Emergency of 1975

An all-out war of words broke out today between the BJP and the Congress on the Emergency’s anniversary.

BJP and Congress train guns at each other over the Emergency of 1975.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

An all-out war of words broke out on Tuesday, 26 June between the BJP and the Congress on the 1975 Emergency.

Observing it as "black day", BJP leaders fanned out in the country to highlight the Emergency's excesses with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge with a ballistic speech in Mumbai and party chief Amit Shah addressing a meeting in Ahmedabad of those jailed during the 1975-77 Emergency.

The Congress hit back, equating Modi with Aurangzeb and alleged that he was even more cruel than the Mughal emperor and "enslaved democracy" in the country for the past 49 months with an undeclared Emergency.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Modi was launching an attack on the Congress only to hide his own failures and the "false" promises and "jumlas" he had made to the public before coming to power.

He alleged that an atmosphere of fear was being created in the country to suppress dissent with those opposing them dubbed as "anti-national" and that an "undeclared emergency" was imposed in the country under Modi.

Delhi Sultanate’s ‘dictator’ Modi, who is even more cruel than Aurangzeb today gave lessons to the country on the Emergency imposed 43 years ago. By taking out his anger on the Congress, can a lid be put on Modiji’s ‘jumlas’? Today’s Aurangzeb has enslaved democracy in the country including in his own party, the BJP. Modiji while trying to put a lid on his own failures is taking revenge with history today, but he has forgotten that he himself will become history soon. 

Randeep Surjewala, Leader, Congress

Surjewala said, "Aurangzeb never took lessons from anybody... Dictators don't take lessons, only history teaches them lessons and I am sure Modiji will also have the same fate."

Unions ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Smriti Irani and M J Akbar, Ananth Kumar, J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan were among the BJP leaders who targeted the Congress at events held across the country.

(With inputs from PTI)