Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Rajya Sabha during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, highlighted the significance of the 1977 elections. He asserted that these elections were crucial for safeguarding the Indian Constitution. “The people of the nation chose us to save the Constitution… The 1977 election saved the Constitution,” he remarked.
Speaker Om Birla’s Condemnation
Om Birla, after his election as Lok Sabha Speaker, denounced the Congress government’s imposition of Emergency in 1975. He expressed strong opposition to this decision and praised those who resisted it, emphasizing the importance of protecting Indian democracy.
Birla stated, “This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. Along with this, we appreciate the determination of all those people who opposed the Emergency, fought, and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting the democracy of India. 25th June 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India.”
PM Modi Criticizes Congress
Amid discussions on the upcoming Lok Sabha 2024 elections, PM Modi took jibes at Congress, questioning their celebration despite consistent electoral losses. He noted, “With these election results, not only a jump in the capital market is being seen, but there is also an atmosphere of joy across the world… Amid this, Congress people are also happy. I can’t understand the reason for this joy… Is this joy for the hattrick of loss? Is this joy for falling to nervous 90 or for another failed launch?”
PM Modi also criticized Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, suggesting he bore the brunt of the party’s failures while protecting the party leadership. “I saw even Kharge ji as energetic. But perhaps Kharge ji served his party a lot because the blame for this loss that should have been attributed to someone was saved by him, and he stood like a wall instead… Whenever such a situation arises, a Dalit and backward have to bear the brunt, and that family remains safe. The same was seen here, too,” PM Modi said.
Congress’s Alleged Anti-SC/ST/OBC Mindset
Further, PM Modi accused Congress of having an anti-SC/ST/OBC mindset, citing their treatment of former President Ram Nath Kovind and the first tribal woman President of India. He argued, “You would have seen the issue of Lok Sabha Speaker; their defeat was certain there, but who did they push forward? A Dalit. He would lose, but they still fielded him. In the President and Vice President elections in 2022, they fielded Sushil Kumar Shinde and let the Dalit lose; they themselves have nothing to lose. In 2017, when the defeat was certain, they fielded Meira Kumar…”
Opposition Walkout
Opposition MPs staged a walkout in response to PM Modi’s comments, alleging that they did not allow the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to speak. They protested by chanting slogans against the Prime Minister.
Kharge later explained their opposition, accusing PM Modi of spreading misinformation about the Constitution and the Congress’s stance on it. “It’s his habit to lie and say things beyond truth. I have just asked him that, when he was speaking about the Constitution, you didn’t make the Constitution, you people were against it. I was just clarifying that who the people were for and against the Constitution… They (RSS) have opposed the Constitution. They burnt the effigy of BR Ambedkar & Pandit Nehru… He says time and again that we disrespected BR Ambedkar, he said it there (in Lok Sabha) and he is saying it today also… I wanted to tell what Babasaheb has said in the Constituent Assembly and what the RSS has written in the Organiser,” Kharge stated.
NCP-SCP Chief Sharad Pawar’s Support
Supporting the opposition’s walkout, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar emphasized the need for respect towards the Leader of the Opposition. He said, “He (Mallikarjun Kahrge) is on a constitutional post. Be it the PM or the Chairman of the House, it’s their responsibility to respect him, but today it was all ignored and hence the entire opposition is with him, and hence we walked out.”