Initiating debate on 75 years of journey of the Constitution in Rajya Sabha on Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a dig at the Congress party for several amendments to the Constitution alleging that they were brought to protect the dynasty and those in power.
Sitharaman cited the First Amendment to accuse the interim government led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of curtailing the freedom of speech and expression.
In her scathing remark, the Finance minister said that the Congress party did not tolerate criticism and adverse commentary.
She said that lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, along with actor Balraj Sahni, was jailed in 1949 for reciting a poem against Jawaharlal Nehru during a meeting for mill workers.
“Nehru’s biography by Michael Edwards was banned in 1975. A film called ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ was also banned because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son, the then Information and Broadcasting Minister. They also banned John Dalvi’s book Himalayan Blunder, “the minister said as she put the rival Congress in the dock.
Sitharaman said that the Ninth Schedule was brought for bypassing judicial review and alleged that Congress wanted a committed judiciary.
“Congress brought amendments to the Constitution to protect an individual, protecting a family,” she said.
Attacking the grand old party, she said that Congress passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act 1986 to overturn a court order denying Muslim women their right to alimony.
In her opening remarks, Sitharaman said that while many countries wrote their Constitutions but changed them later, India’s Constitution has stood the test of time.
“Post Second World War, over 50 countries had become independent, and they had their Constitution written, but many have changed their Constitutions, not just amended them but literally changed the entire feature of their Constitution. But our Constitution has stood the test of time. Of course, it yielded itself to very many amendments,” she said.
