Dev Anand's Films Were Banned On Doordarshan By Congress For Not Supporting Emergency: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress party as he recalled various instances of curbing peoples' freedom of speech including those of the public personalities during the emergency period. Replying to the Motion of Thanks to President's address in Rajya Sabha, PM Modi said that renowned actor Dev Anand's films were prohibited on national broadcaster Doordarshan because he rejected Congress' demand to support Emergency publicly.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha, PM Modi said that during the Emergency, a very famous cinema artist Dev Anand ji was asked by the Congress party to support imposition of Emergency in the country but Dev Anand ji refused to do it… and this is the reason that all his movies were banned from telecast on Doordarshan.

PM Modi continued targeting the Congress and said, “Nehru's 'stop-gap' government amended constitution to curb freedom of speech, did not even wait for elections.”

"During Nehru ji's tenure as the PM, a workers strike was held in Mumbai. During that strike, the famous poet Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poet. After this, he was put in jail. Famous actor Balraj Sahni was also jailed only because he participated in a protest demonstration at the time. Hridaynath Mangeshkar Ji, brother of Lata MangeshkarJi, had written a poem on Veer Savarkar and wanted to sing it on Akashvani but was banned from Akashvani for life," PM Modi told Rajya Sabha.

"If you analyse Congress, the principle of their politics has always been to shorten someone else's line, and because of this, they destabilised governments... The path they chose to shorten other's line, those who were with them in Lok Sabh (polls), are now running away from them," the Prime Minister added.

“Welfare of poor, deprived our priority, Modi worships those ignored by others,” Prime Minister said in Rajya Sabha.

"My government is standing firm, committed towards neo-middle class. We want to enhance their capabilities," he said.