NEW DELHI: Congress likened Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to “cruel Aurangzeb”, saying the Mughal emperor had imprisoned his father while his modern version was holding democracy to ransom — in a strong retaliation to the BJP offensive against the party over Emergency.
Interestingly, in what sounded like a defence of Emergency, Congress said “43 years ago”,
Indira Gandhi had launched an assault on the rich, black-marketeers, hoarders and zamindars “who were protected by Jan Sangh”, the forebearer of BJP. The party, however, added Emergency was an “aberration” for which Indira Gandhi had expressed regret.
Seeking to gain parity with BJP, which has picked on the anniversary of Emergency to unleash an attack on Congress’s first family, AICC sought to get back by arguing the Modi regime, in which political opposition and weaker sections like Dalits are under threat, symbolised “fear”.
Senior leader
Ahmed Patel said, “Fear of losing the 2019 elections is making the government seek refuge in the events of 1975. But the fact is that after 1977, Indira Gandhi apologised, corrected her mistakes and people of India voted her back.
Will they (BJP) apologise for the undeclared emergency for last four years? People are being lynched and threatened, agencies are being misused, economic and civil liberties are being curtailed.”
Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, “Today’s
Aurangzeb has enslaved democracy in the country including in his own party BJP.” The choice of Aurangzeb to describe Modi indicated a bid to get back at BJP for calling Indira Gandhi “Hitler.”