JP Nadda tears into Congress, says ‘bad lot’ interfered with Constitution several times

Union health minister JP Nadda on Tuesday slammed the opposition citing the now abrogated Article 370 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir as an illustration on how the earlier Congress governments attempted to alter the Constitution. ]

Nadda said it was the “good lot”, or the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government, that paved the way for the full integration of the Union Territory with the rest of India.

Speaking on the debate to mark the 75th year of the Constitution, the BJP president said that not only did then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru allow Article 370 overriding the concerns then law minister BR Ambedkar, but he also overlooked parliamentary procedures by allowing the imposition of article 35(a) through a presidential order.

“Sardar Patel was given the work to unite 562 princely states with the Union of India. One state, Jammu and Kashmir, was left to Nehru... Maharaja Hari Singh had agreed to join the union,” Nadda said, adding that despite Ambedkar’s clear position that Article 370 was “treacherous” against the interest of India and as law minister he would not allow it, Nehru gave a go ahead.

“Article 370 came, and it was the Jana Sangh that rose in protest and said ‘ek desh mein do nishan, do pradhan aur do vidhan nahin chalenge’... Syama Prasad Mookerjee sacrificed his life in a prison in J&K,” Nadda said.

The ‘good lot’ reference was drawn from BR Ambedkar’s comment “however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it happens to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it happen to be a good lot.”

Slamming the Congress for persisting with the demand to restore Article 370, Nadda said that owing to the provision, as many as 106 central laws were not applicable in J&K, reservation benefits were denied to STs, and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were denied the right to vote and contest local body and state polls.

“This country has had two PMs, Manmohan Singh and IK Gujral, and one deputy PM – LK Advani – who were refugees from west Pakistan, but in J&K, the people from PoK were not allowed to contest Panchayat elections,” the senior BJP leader said.

Referring to the current government as the “good lot”, Nadda said, “... After the bad lot, we got the good lot. On August 5, 2019, we abrogated Article 370... I once again congratulate the PM. Because of his wisdom, Jammu and Kashmir is an inseparable part of India now,” he said.

Nadda further targetted the Congress for imposing Emergency in 1975 to “save PM Indira Gandhi’s chair”.

“Why was the Emergency imposed? There was no khatra (danger) to the desh (country) but to the kursi (chair)...the whole country was plunged into darkness,” he said.

Taking a pot shot at the Congress, he said the party should consider joining the event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emergency.

“It will be 50 years next year since the Emergency was imposed. We will celebrate Anti-Democracy Day. The Indian National Congress should join in and appeal to the people that for 50 years, there was an evil attempt to strangle democracy during the Emergency. If you have any mercy for them anywhere in your heart, if you have any remorse anywhere in your heart, then I appeal to you that you must join Anti-Democracy Day on 25th June 2025,” Nadda said in Parliament.

The minister also attacked the Congress for the inclusion of the words “secular” and “socialist” in the Preamble and said the framers of the Constitution did not feel the need to add these as the spirit of these terms was considered ensconced in the document.

Ambedkar, he said, was against the use of socialist because he felt it would go against the grain of democracy to decide what sort of a society Indians would want.

He said the words were included by the Congress owing to “minority appeasement” and to “appear progressive”.

Citing another example of how the Constitution was not respected during the Congress rule, Nadda said several elected governments were toppled when the opposition party was in power. “Article 356 (which states that President’s Rule can be imposed on any state of India on the grounds of the failure of the constitutional machinery) was used 8 times by Nehru, 50 times by Indira Gandhi, 9 times by Rajiv Gandhi and 10 times by Manmohan Singh,” he said.

Further, Nadda questioned why triple talaq, which is not allowed even in Islamic countries, was not outlawed in India.

“When we talk about culture, many people feel that we are not progressive. I want to bring to their attention that the original copy of the Constitution also had the imprint of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. We also see an imprint of lotus on it. The lotus reflects the fact that after coming out of the mud and swamp and fighting for freedom, we are ready to stand with a new morning and stand with the new Constitution. That is why our Constitution also inspires us with the lotus that despite all the troubles, we will leave no stone unturned in strengthening democracy,” the BJP president said.

Attack on Nehru

Nadda’s speech also focused on the diplomatic and military lapses during Nehru’s tenure, accusing the former PM of “neglecting defence preparations, including border security” and of being “diplomatically naive”.

Making a reference to the India-China war of 1962, he said China not only grabbed 38,000 sq cm of Indian territory but also came in possession of large parts through transfer from Pakistan.

He also made a mention of the transfer of control of Coco Island to Myanmar and Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka as diplomatic gaffes by the Congress.

Nadda further mentioned how despite an agreement with Bangladesh on the lane border agreement in 1974, no ratification was done till 2015, preventing the transfer of enclaves on both sides.

Referring to the Constitution and the process of drafting the document Nadda said, “The makers of the Constitution were aware that this is not a nation in the making; it was already a nation. This nation was based on our culture, our ethos; that’s why the debates of the constituent assembly mention our culture and history... Terms like ‘Sabha’, ‘Samiti, and ‘Sansad’ are mentioned in the manuscripts and Vedas.”