Union Health Minister and BJP President, JP Nadda, launched a scathing attack on the Congress during a Rajya Sabha debate marking the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution. Nadda accused the opposition party of repeatedly violating the Constitution, referencing key historical moments and decisions that he believes demonstrate the Congress’s disregard for constitutional integrity.
Nadda cited the controversial Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He criticized the Congress government for imposing this provision despite objections from key figures like Law Minister B.R. Ambedkar. According to Nadda, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s approval of Article 370 and his role in bypassing parliamentary procedures with the imposition of Article 35A were major flaws. The BJP leader praised the current government for fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India by abrogating Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
Drawing on the words of Ambedkar, Nadda referred to the Congress as the “bad lot” that failed to uphold the Constitution’s true spirit. He further criticized Congress for its treatment of refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were denied voting rights and political participation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Nadda also condemned the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, claiming it was solely to “save her chair” and plunged the nation into darkness. He suggested that Congress should reflect on this dark chapter and join the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as “Anti-Democracy Day.”
In his speech, Nadda also targeted the Congress for introducing the terms “secular” and “socialist” into the Preamble of the Constitution, accusing the party of using these terms for political appeasement. He emphasized that such terms were not necessary as the spirit of secularism and socialism was already embedded in the Constitution.
Nadda further criticized the frequent use of Article 356 (President’s Rule) during Congress rule to topple elected state governments, claiming that this undermined democratic values.
The BJP President also took a dig at Nehru’s foreign policy, particularly in relation to India’s border security and diplomatic relations. He highlighted the 1962 India-China war, accusing Nehru of failing to prepare adequately for defense and diplomatically mishandling several territorial issues, such as the transfer of Coco Island to Myanmar and Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka.
Nadda’s speech was a strong rebuke of Congress, claiming that the party’s actions during its rule betrayed the values of the Indian Constitution.
