‘If you’d taken help of Nehru…': Congress MP to Centre on violence in Manipur, Haryana

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was responding to Union minister Amit Shah's speech on Delhi Ordinance Bill, where he quoted the former PM

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday complimented Union home minster Amit Shah for ‘praising’ Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party while addressing the House on the matter to discuss the Government of Delhi of NCT of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in otherwise known as Delhi Ordinance Bill. Dismissing Congress MP's claims, Shah responded that he didn't praise Nehru but merely quoted him during the address.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury speaks in the Lok Sabha (PTI)

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Further during his speech, Chowdhury criticised the Centre for ‘taking assistance' of the former Prime Minister as per their ‘need’. "If you (Centre) had actually taken the help of Nehru then the country would not have witnessed Manipur and Haryana," he added.

While opposing the contentious Delhi Ordinance Bill, that grants the central government the control of services in the national capital, in the Lower House, the Congress MP briefly mentioned the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, and the communal violence that took place in Haryana's Nuh on July 31 which followed the next two days in other parts of the state. He also referred to Shah's address where he spoke about Delhi's constitutional status on its statehood.

Referring to the Pattabhi Sitaramayya committee, while defending the Centre's Delhi Ordinance Bill, Shah said a recommendation was made to the Constituent Assembly on according Delhi its statehood, which was opposed by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel among other senior leaders of the time, along with Chairman of the Drafting Committee BR Ambedkar. The Union home minister further quoted Nehru from one of his discussions on the matter where he claimed that accepting the committee's recommendations can be considered as ‘turning its back’ on the realities of Delhi as ‘three-fourth of its property belong to the central government’.

The Congress MP also alleged that in line with Delhi, the Centre may bring similar laws for other states as well. He further asked the Union Cabinet whether it was necessary for them to bring a Bill to fight against corruption. “You have ED, CBI and other agencies. Why don't you use them?”

He also alleged that the Ordinance was implemented right after the Supreme Court went on a vacation. “What was the emergency to bring the Ordinance? You could've directly brought the Bill instead,” the Congress MP said.