In a fiery speech marking the 75th anniversary of India’s Constitution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of repeatedly attempting to undermine the Constitution through various amendments over the years. Her remarks were made during a debate in the Rajya Sabha, where she targeted the Congress for its actions under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru and subsequent party leaders.
Sitharaman began by highlighting the first amendment to the Constitution in 1951, which she claimed was primarily aimed at curbing freedom of speech. She noted that the amendment sought to limit the expression of dissent, an issue she claimed was indicative of Nehru’s discomfort with press scrutiny, despite his public praise for press freedom. “India prides itself even today on the freedom of expression. But the first interim government came up with a Constitutional amendment to curb the freedom of speech of Indians,” she said.
Sitharaman also criticized the Congress for its stance on freedom of expression, citing the arrest of poet-lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni in 1949. Sultanpuri had recited a poem critical of Nehru, which led to his imprisonment. Sitharaman pointed out the stark contrast between the Congress government’s actions and the current celebrations of India’s freedom of speech.
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The Finance Minister also recalled instances where the Congress government censored criticism, including the banning of Michael Edwardes’ book Nehru: A Political Biography and the film Kissa Kursi Ka in the 1970s, both of which questioned the leadership of Indira Gandhi. She further mentioned the 1988 ban on Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, illustrating a pattern of suppressing free expression.
According to Sitharaman, the amendments introduced by the Congress were not intended to strengthen democracy but were instead designed to protect the interests of those in power. She pointed to the 39th Constitutional Amendment of 1975, enacted during Indira Gandhi’s tenure, which prevented legal challenges to the election of key officials, including the Prime Minister, while the courts were still considering related cases.
The Finance Minister also referred to the controversial Shah Bano case during Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministership. After the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of alimony for Muslim women, the Congress government passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act in 1986, which she argued denied Muslim women their right to alimony.
Sitharaman concluded her speech by reflecting on India’s resilient democracy, noting that, while many countries that gained independence after World War II have completely overhauled their constitutions, India’s Constitution has withstood the test of time. She reaffirmed India’s commitment to upholding the spirit of the Constitution, emphasizing that the country’s democratic growth remains a source of pride.
