Congress and its Allies are a Threat to the Constitution and Democracy: CM Yogi

Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that the Congress has never truly believed in India’s constitution and democracy. Whenever they had the chance, they worked to strangle the constitution and crush democracy. When they didn’t have the opportunity, they misled the people with falsehoods about upholding the constitution and democracy. The reality is that even today, the constitution and democracy are threatened by the Congress and its allies within the Indian coalition.

During a seminar on “Kala Diwas” and the Democracy Defender Rakshak Senani Samman program organized by the District and Metropolitan Unit of the BJP, CM Yogi spoke on the fiftieth anniversary of the Emergency imposed by the Congress Government on June 25, 1975. Addressing the gathering at the Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium, he honored 28 democracy defenders and recalled how 50 years ago, the Congress government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wrote a dark chapter in Indian parliamentary democracy by imposing the Emergency. By doing so, Congress tried to destroy democracy, taking away the fundamental rights of citizens and curtailing the powers of the judiciary. Those who opposed this dictatorial regime were jailed and subjected to inhuman torture, leading to severe suffering of democracy.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath remarked that the Congress only wants to change its face, not its character. During the Emergency, the barbaric face of the Congress was evident as they tried to alter the preamble of the constitution, which is considered its soul. At that time, opposition leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jai Prakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, and Lal Krishna Advani were arrested. Even today, while the face of the Congress Party may have changed, its basic character remains the same as it was during the Emergency.

Whenever they had the chance, Congress undermined the constitution and democracy. The Chief Minister mentioned how Congress laid the foundation of terrorism in Kashmir by inserting Article 370 into the constitution. From 1950 to 2014, Congress governments used Article 356 to dismiss state governments over 90 times for their selfish interests. CM Yogi stressed the importance of educating present and future generations about the misdeeds of Congress to prevent future sacrifices similar to those made during the Emergency. He also honored the spirit of the democracy defenders present at the event.

CM Yogi further accused the Congress and its allies of misleading the public during elections by spreading falsehoods about changing the constitution and ending reservations. He stated that whenever possible, Congress tried to end SC-ST and OBC reservations, pointing out that institutions like Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia did not implement these reservations in the name of appeasement. Continuing his attack, he highlighted how Congress leaders criticize India’s democracy abroad and question the Election Commission of India and EVMs.

In concluding, CM Yogi criticized the Congress-led Indy alliance, noting the irony of parties that once defended democracy now aligning with Congress, thereby pushing the country towards dictatorial and anti-democratic policies. He remarked that if the forefathers of these allied parties saw their current leaders’ actions, they would be deeply disappointed.

On this occasion, former MLA and democracy activist Sheetal Pandey shared his memories related to the Emergency. The event also saw the participation of MLC and BJP State Vice President Dr. Dharmendra Singh, Regional President Sahajanand Rai, MLA Vipin Singh, Mahendrapal Singh, Rajesh Tripathi, Pradeep Shukla, BJP Metropolitan General Secretary Omprakash Sharma, Chhotelal Maurya, Manoj Shukla, and Achutanand Shahi, among others.

CM Yogi honored the following democracy defenders: Sheetal Pandey, Ramesh Vishwakarma, Yogendra Gupta, Surendra Singh, Dr. Keshav Singh, Shiv Prakash Aggarwal, Rajaram, Deep Narayan Shukla, Suresh Khanna, Dr. Mahesh Pathak, Rajkishore Mishra, Durga Prasad Mishra, Bhagwati Singh, Chedi Lal, Dhanraj Singh, Shambhu Singh Srinet, Rajesh Gupta, Kshatrapati Shukla, Harilal Chaurasia, Sheshnath Singh, Baldev Yadav, Shrikrishna Gupta, Nagendra Singh, Rameshwar Singh, Narendra Yadav, Lalji Singh, Abhimanyu Shahi, Hemant Singh, Vinay Pranacharya, Abhay Pandey, Abhimanyu Singh, and Ramnaresh.