While launching a sharp attack on Congress, Union minister Arun Jaitley on 25 June compared former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to German dictator Adolf Hitler and said that PM Indira Gandhi may have been inspired by Hitler in suspending democracy in 1975 by imposing Emergency.
“Arun Jaitley writes about the dark days of the Emergency, the trampling of personal liberties, excesses committed and how the Emergency was a direct attack on our constitutional ideals. Do read his blogs,” PM Modi tweeted while sharing his blog on social media asking people to read Jaitley’s blog.
Jaitley wrote a blog to mark the 43rd anniversary of Emergency, he cited similar examples the way Indira and Hitler suspended fundamental rights and persecuted opposition party leaders and workers.
Jaitley wrote, “Both Hitler and Mrs Gandhi never abrogated the Constitution. They used a republican Constitution to transform democracy into dictatorship.”
“Hitler continued to maintain that his actions were within the four corners of the Constitution. Mrs Gandhi imposed Emergency under Article 352, suspended fundamental rights under Article 359 and claimed that disorder was planned by the opposition in the country. The security forces were being asked to disobey illegal orders and, therefore, in the larger interest of the nation, India had to become a disciplined democracy,” Jaitley wrote.
While criticising Indira for turning country into dynastic democracy he wrote in his blog “There were a few things that Hitler did not do which Mrs Gandhi did. She prohibited the publication of parliamentary proceeding in the media.”
