The BJP has hit out at Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi over her remarks about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi government.
The controversy has further polarised the political battle between BJP and Congress with both sides accusing each other of playing dirty politics over democracy, governance and India’s political history.
The BJP attacked Sonia Gandhi’s remarks as public relations and questioned her defence of circumstances under which Emergency was imposed in 1975. The party also used the occasion to target Congress leadership on several controversial episodes from its period in power.
The political war began after Sonia Gandhi gave an interview to The Hindu before the release of her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love. In that interview she alleged that India’s democracy, institutions and constitutional framework have been damaged a lot over the last 12 years by Modi government.
She said the democratic institutions were in bad shape and that restoring the country’s systems would take a lot of time and effort even after the present government leaves office. She also expressed confidence in the Opposition’s future political prospects.
Her comments were met with an immediate response from the BJP. Senior party leader Tarun Chugh asked Sonia Gandhi to take off what he called her ‘Italian lenses’ and see India’s progress in the last 12 years.
Chugh talked about India’s economic performance and government development agenda. He said that the country was emerging as a global power and gave GDP growth rate of 7.8 per cent as an example. He also alleged Congress leadership not being able to acknowledge what the country had achieved under BJP government.
The Emergency became another point of disagreement. Sonia Gandhi in her discussion on the period from 25 June 1975 onwards said democratic rights had been curtailed and right to approach courts through habeas corpus was suspended but the Emergency was imposed by constitutional means.
She also tried to explain things from Indira Gandhi’s point of view: violent protests, attacks on government offices and public transport; unrest all around at the time.
Sonia further said that Indira Gandhi eventually realised what was happening, called elections in March 1977 and later publicly regretted and apologised for the excesses committed during Emergency.
The BJP strongly opposed this explanation. Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said Sonia Gandhi was trying to make Indira Gandhi a victim and that her remarks could not hide the historical record of Emergency.
BJP leaders also brought up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Bofors controversy, Bhopal gas tragedy and Batla House encounter while questioning Congress leadership’s political legacy. These were political allegations and criticism that BJP leaders raised in response.
The controversy has put once again the historical record of Emergency and performance of successive governments at the centre of India’s political debate.
With Sonia Gandhi’s memoir expected to contain moments from her personal and political life, her comments have given fresh ammunition to the ruling party as well as Opposition. It also exposes how divided BJP and Congress are over India’s past governance, present governance and democratic institutions.
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