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In Prayagraj, Narendra Modi talks freedom of judiciary, Emergency in jibe at Congress
The Congress has not spared even the judiciary from its corrupt and autocratic ways, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday as he addressed a public gathering on the banks of the Ganga in Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad.
The Congress has not spared even the judiciary from its corrupt and autocratic ways, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday as he addressed a public gathering on the banks of the Ganga in Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi had launched a scathing attack on the Congress on a variety of issues ranging from jobs and farmers’ distress to the Rafale deal in which the government has recently got a fillip with the Supreme Court’s order.
Referring to the Allahabad high court, Modi said Prayagraj could be called the “Temple of Justice”. However, he said that in recent times, the judiciary is increasingly becoming a victim of political pressures.
“There is a party that has harmed institutions including the judiciary whenever it has suited them or if the institution has failed to act as they wanted,” he said, not naming the Congress.
He said that the people of Prayagraj understood this very well and went on to give the example of Emergency which was imposed in the country in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
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“The people of the state should remember how the top leader of this party had insulted the people and enforced Emergency. Efforts were even made to snatch away the right of the judiciary to hear cases of political importance and power. This party crosses all limits to remain in power,” he said.
Coming down hard on Congress, the PM highlighted a statement by a Congress leader wherein he had claimed that only such a person would be made the chief justice who would acts according to the party’s will and wishes.
Modi reminded the people that the Congress had also tried to bring in an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India and cited it as another attempt by the Opposition party to undermine the judiciary.
He claimed that the Congress considers itself above democracy, judiciary and even the people. He even accused the Congress of using not just muscle power but also of using underhand means to get its work done.
“This party (Congress) has destroyed every agency that didn’t work according to them,” he said.
“The Congress,” he said, “had no interest in the country’s progress, traditions and culture”, where his party has always considered them a top priority.
Earlier, speaking in Sonia Gandhi’s constituency Rae Bareli, Modi had said that the Congress was “agitated” and telling “lies” as there was no “Quattrocchi uncle” or Christian Michel in the NDA government’s defence deals and slammed the opposition party for trying to create “distrust” against the judiciary.
