Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a blistering attack on the Congress for its pro-family approach while dealing with the Indian Constitution and stated in the Rajya Sabha that the grand old party kept amending the constitution to help family and dynasty. Sitharaman launched a scathing attack on former Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and said that the Constitutional amendments that they brought were not about strengthening democracy but protecting those in power.
“The Congress party brazenly kept amending the Constitution to help the family and dynasty…These amendments were not to strengthen democracy but to protect those in power, the process was used to strengthen the family,” said FM Sitharaman.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on debate on the constitution, Sithartaman also slammed Congress allies including Lalu Prasad Yadav. Taking a veiled jibe at Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sitharaman said, “I know of political leaders who have chosen to have the children named after MISA to remember those black days and now they wouldn’t even mind having an alliance with them…” The Finance Minister was hinting at Misa Bharti, Lalu Yadav’s daughter.
irmala Sitharaman pointed out the Constitutional amendments brought in to nullify a judgement that arose between Indira Gandhi vs Rajnarayan wherein the order of the Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Indira Gandhi was challenged.
“During the pendency of this case in the Supreme Court, the Congress enacted the 39th Constitutional Amendment Act in 1975 which added Article 392 (A) to the Constitution which says that elections to the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Lok Sabha Speaker cannot be challenged in any court in the country and it can be done only before a parliamentary committee. Imagine that for a person to save her chair, an amendment was made even before the court judgement,” she said.
“The judgement that came from the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case, the Congress passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce act 1986 which denied Muslim women their right to alimony. Our party passed the Nari Shakti Adhiniyam whereas the right of Muslim women was denied by this act,” she added.
Sitharaman also slammed the Congress on enforcing Emergency in the country.
“On December 18, 1976, the then-president gave an accent to the 42nd Constitutional amendment act. During the Emergency when the term of Lok Sabha was extended without proper justification. In the extended term, when the entire opposition was put to jail then came the Constitutional amendment. That was a total invalidated process. Only five members opposed the bill in the Lok Sabha. There was no one in Rajya Sabha to oppose it. The amendments were not about strengthening democracy but protecting those in power,” the Finance Minister said.
