Amit Shah reads list of BJP party presidents; shames Congress over internal democracy

Home Minister Amit Shah in his interview with news agency ANI showed the mirror to Congress party over their claims of lack of democracy in BJP. Drawing a comparison between the leadership of BJP as against Congress over the decades, Amit Shah said that the presidents of the BJP have never been elected from the same family which only depicts the democratic values of BJP, as against Congress which has almost always had somebody from the Gandhi family as the president of the party ever since Indira Gandhi became the party president.

"Democracy is a very comprehensive word. Discipline and independence also hold their values in a democracy. Beyond all this I want to ask you a question; After Advani ji, Rajnath ji, Nitin ji, Rajnath ji again, I became (party president) and now Nadda ji. Is there a member of the same family? But after Indira ji, tell me one Congress president who is outside the Gandhi family. What democracy are they talking about?" questioned Shah.

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"Emergency should be remembered by people as it attacked the roots of our democracy. No political worker or citizen should forget. There should be an awareness about it. It is not about a party but about the attack on the country's democracy," Amit Shah elaborated about why he tweeted about the emergency on June 25, stating that every year he tweets on Emergency.

This comes in response to Congress alleging 'BJP lacks democracy in the party', which were in retaliation to BJP's anti-emergency statements on the 45th anniversary of the national emergency of 1975.

Amit Shah's statements were in response to the claims of Congress leaders including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who said that Shah along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "highjacked the BJP and NDA government with no breather for other leaders". Gehlot in a series of tweets had also added that "they (BJP) are not fit to question democratic values of Congress Party and Congress Working Committee". He even went on to add that "Congress party has built, protected and nourished the democracy of this nation".

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Emergency in 1975

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the wee hours of June 26, 1975, announced a nationwide Emergency. Announcing it from AIR's studio, she said that President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had proclaimed Emergency citing internal disturbance and 'there is nothing to panic.' As the Emergency kicked in, Delhi went into darkness due to power cut, to stop newspapers from printing. Massive arrests followed in the next 21 months. Fundamental rights and civil rights were curbed and many of those who opposed Congress' high handedness and brutal repression were incarcerated under the aegis of Sanjay Gandhi, including many current BJP leaders as well.