Hitting back at allegations that the Centre was “troubling” states, Prime Minister Modi on Thursday said that the Congress had dismissed elected state governments 90 times with Indira Gandhi “misusing” Article 356 around 50 times.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 9, 2023 18:31 IST
PM Modi said that his government stressed on “cooperative, competitive federalism” while framing policies keeping in mind regional aspirations. (Photo: PTI)
By India Today Web Desk: Indira Gandhi “misused” constitutional provisions and dismissed elected state governments 50 times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday. He was trying to turn the tables on the Congress, which has been alleging that the Modi-led central government regularly “troubles states”.
PM Modi said in the Rajya Sabha that Congress, when at the Centre, had trampled on the rights of states and regional parties and dismissed elected governments on 90 occasions by “misusing” Article 356 of the Constitution. “Who are the people?” the PM asked and said Indira Gandhi herself had “misused” Article 356 around 50 times to dismiss elected state governments.
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“They say we trouble states, but they have toppled elected state governments 90 times… This country is not anyone’s fiefdom… These people who are now sitting [with the Congress], I want to expose them today,” the PM said. He then went on to recount how the governments of the Left in Kerala, NT Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh, Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra and M G Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu were dismissed by the Congress.
He pointed out, that ironically, those parties were now siding with the Congress.
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“NT Rama Rao’s government was dismissed when he was in the US for medical treatment,” he said, adding, M G Ramachandran must be turning in his grave seeing his DMK align with the Congress.
PM Modi said that his government stressed on “cooperative, competitive federalism” while framing policies keeping in mind regional aspirations.
