Awhad: Remark on Indira Gandhi taken out of context

Facing flak for his alleged comment that democracy was throttled by former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the 1975 Emergency, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and minister Jitendra Awhad said it was taken out of context.

Awhad, in a video clarification issued late on Wednesday, said, “My statement was shown out of context. I respect Indira Gandhi a lot. However, there is a difference of opinion over Emergency. The point I wanted to make was, if a leader like Indiraji was defeated over an opinion that she attacked democratic rights of the people, then PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah are nothing.”

Reacting to Awhad’s comment, senior Congress leader and minister Ashok Chavan had said that those who disrespect their party leader would be given a befitting reply.

Awhad is the latest leader in the three-party ruling alliance in the state to kick up a storm by making a comment that irked one of the three allies.

Farhan Azmi, the son of state Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Abu Azmi, said if chief minister Uddhav Thackeray goes to Ayodhya on March 7, he, too, would go there to rebuild the Babri Masjid.