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Under fire over ‘intolerance’ issue, the government on Friday cited Hitler’s actions in Germany in 1930s to target Congress in Rajya Sabha for imposing Emergency by “subverting” the Constitution and said “dictatorship was at its worst” as even right to life and liberty was suspended.
Initiating a discussion on the ‘Commitment to India’s Constitution’, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said measures should be taken to strengthen the Constitution and ensure that democracy is not subverted again.
Jaitley narrated the sequence of events that took place in Hitler’s regime, suggesting that these were replicated by Indira Gandhi who imposed Emergency in 1975.
“There are worst illustrations in history when Constitutional systems are used to subvert the Constitution... You have the most glaring example in the world when in 1933 in Germany Emergency was declared,” he said, while countering the attack on government over ‘intolerance’ issue.
He said Hitler, using the pretext of a threat to “set ablaze the German Parliament”, imposed Emergency, detained opposition to gain majority for amending the Constitution, censured the press and came out with a 25-point economic programme.
“You impose Emergency, detain opposition, amend the Constitution, impose censorship on newspapers and announce a 25-point economic programme.
“Thereafter, you brought a law that no action taken by government was justiciable in court and then Hitler’s immediate adviser Rudolf Hess in his speech ended by a sentence that ‘Adolf Hitler is Germany, Germany is Adolf Hitler’,” he said.
Though he said he was only referring to the events of 1933 in Germany, Jaitley was apparently citing similarities to actions during Indira Gandhi’s regime when it was said ‘Indira is India, India is Indira’.
“What happened in other parts of the world later, Germany never claimed a copyright,” he added.
“The biggest challenge we faced (during Emergency) was that Article 21 was suspended and citizens lost even the right to life and liberty. This was dictatorship at its worst,” Jaitley said.
When some member from the Opposition benches said comparisons should not be drawn, the finance minister retorted: “Of course, there is no comparison. The difference is between a mouse and a mole hill”.
He noted that after the Emergency period was over, the Constitution was amended to make Article 21 “permanently non-suspendable.. So, today we are far safer.”
Jaitley, who also holds the portfolio of information and broadcasting, added, “We should block all systems by which Constitution or Constitutional systems could be used to subvert democracy...We must all be prepared to strengthen each of the institutions of democracy.”
Seeking to needle the opposition which has been targeting the government over ‘intolerance’, he asked how the House would react if Ambedkar had made his 1949 speech on Friday for implementing Article 44 (that calls for bringing in Uniform Civil code) and Article 48) that calls for prohibiting cow slaughter).
He stressed that there should be no state religion and theocracy should not be practised as enshrined in the Constitution.
In the present times, he said, the “biggest challenge” to any Constitutional system in the world is terrorism and there should be united fight against it instead of some adopting a “soft” approach for vote bank politics.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also insisted that the term ‘secular’ will remain part of the Preamble of the Constitution.
“Today there is no threat to the Constitution, no Emergency, there are no arrests (of political rivals), no supercession of judges. We must work together to strengthen the Constitution,” Naidu said in the Lok Sabha while participating in the discussion on commitment to India’s Constitution.
Responding to the debate on the term secularism witnessed in the House on Thursday, he said the word is part of the Preamble “and will remain so. But what I want to say is that it should be in our hearts and should remain.”
At the same time, he hit out at ‘pseudo secularists’ saying those who followed politics on the basis of caste and communal lines “call others as anti secular.”
“People get swayed and misled by caste and religion. Then for five years, they cannot do anything,” he said.
Naidu’s remarks came in the backdrop of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s targetting of the government on Thursday on the issue of intolerance alleging that ideals and principles of the Constitution were under threat and being attacked deliberately.
Noting that there is a need to reject pseudo-secularism, Naidu said the goal should be development of all and appeasement of none.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party for not acknowledging the contributions of leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru in making of the Constitution, the Congress party said this attitude reflected the ruling party's intolerance which flows from the top to the streets.
The main opposition party in Rajya Sabha also accused the BJP of trying to appropriate the icons of India's freedom struggle without having such a leader of its own and trying to "manufacture a clash" between these famous personalities.
"You can talk about German Constitution, its dictator... but you feel ashamed to talk about (Jawaharlal) Nehru... You are not able to recognise the contribution of first prime minister.... This is called intolerance. It flows from the top and percolates down to the streets," Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said while participating in a debate on the commitment to the Constitution and B R Ambedkar.
In a hard-hitting speech in the Rajya Sabha in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Azad accused the ruling dispensation of attempting to "manufacture a clash" between the personas of freedom struggle like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel and Nehru on the lines of the "divide and rule" policy.
Azad referred to Leader of the House Arun Jaitley's speech and said it became clear to him that the discussion on Ambedkar and commitment towards the Constitution was actually a "shield to take aim at other targets."
He said Jaitley had referred to Hitler and not acknowledged Nehru, which made it clear that "nazar kahin thi, nishana kahin tha".
"Those who don't have icons who took part in freedom struggle are trying to appropriate others," he said, adding that Ambedkar, Bose, Nehru, Prasad, Maulana Azad cannot be appropriated and "will always belong to the people of the country".
Taking a jibe at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-BJP, he said there were a lot of people belonging to "a parivar" who did not agree with the Constitution and "it is good if they also show their commitment. Der aaye, durust aaye (better late than never)".
As Azad questioned the procedures adhered to by the government in celebrating the Constitution Day, Jaitley stood up and asked why was there a "grudging feeling" in acknowledging Ambedkar's contribution.