Nadda tears into Cong, says ‘bad lot’ interfered with Constitution many times

Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday criticised the Congress for repeatedly interfering with the Constitution.

Quoting BR Ambedkar, he said, “However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad.” Nadda added that the “bad lot” had manipulated the Constitution on multiple occasions.

Participating in a discussion on the “Glorious Journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India”, Nadda cited examples such as the imposition of the Emergency and the introduction of Article 370, which he claimed were attempts by Congress governments to alter constitutional norms.

Nadda asserted that the BJP-led Central Government, which he referred to as the “good lot,” ensured the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India by abrogating Article 370 on August 5, 2019. He claimed Ambedkar had warned former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah against Article 370, calling it “treacherous”, but India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, approved the provision.

Referring to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Nadda said Mookerjee opposed Article 370, declaring that there should not be two constitutions in one nation. He also highlighted how Article 35A, introduced in 1954 via a presidential order without Parliamentary debate, added further complications.

Nadda elaborated on the consequences of these special provisions, stating that 106 Central laws, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and women’s property rights, were not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir. He also pointed out that refugees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) were barred from contesting even panchayat elections in the state, unlike refugees from West Pakistan, such as former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and IK Gujral and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani.

The BJP leader accused Congress of weakening democracy by imposing the Emergency within 25 years of independence. Announcing the observance of its 50th anniversary next year, he said, “We will observe Anti-Democracy Day on June 25, 2025, and invite the Indian National Congress to join us if they have any regret in their hearts.”

Nadda also claimed that Ambedkar had opposed the inclusion of the terms “secular” and “socialist” in the Constitution’s Preamble during Constituent Assembly debates, asserting that the Constitution already guaranteed equality and non-discrimination on religious grounds.

Accusing the Congress of minority appeasement, Nadda said, “There is no triple talaq in Islamic nations like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Syria, but the Congress retained it here to appease minorities.”

He further criticised the Congress for territorial losses, claiming that Nehru’s negligence in defence preparedness and border infrastructure allowed China to occupy 38,000 sq km of Indian territory and receive another 5,180 sq km through illegal transfer from Pakistan.