New Delhi [India], October 26 (ANI): Recalling the political decorum of the 1974 anti-Emergency agitation, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks targeting the Prime Minister, asserting that even during fierce opposition to then Indira Gandhi's regime, political opponents never compromised on dignity or used abusive language.
Speaking to reporters in the national capital here, the Union Minister expressed dismay over the choice of words by someone occupying the top post of the grand old party.
"Mallikarjun Kharge is the president of the Congress party—he holds a responsible position. Yet, he has shown no regard for any norms of decency; there is virtually no limit he hasn’t crossed. This suggests one of two things: either it is the effect of his age, or he has become mentally unwell," Singh said.
"Could anyone have ever imagined that the president of the Congress party would use such language regarding the Prime Minister of the country?" he questioned.
Drawing a historical parallel from the 1974 anti-corruption movement, Singh recalled how political opponents upheld dignity even in fierce opposition against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
"During the 1974 movement, we were fighting against the regime of Indira Gandhi, yet no one ever used abusive language toward her," the minister pointed out.
Further hitting out at the Congress party and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Singh praised the country's voters for rejecting the party in elections, claiming that the party is shrinking with each passing day.
"The people of this nation are truly wise for not giving them another chance. The party is only shrinking further. Had the public mistakenly given them an opportunity, Rahul Gandhi would have left the country in an even worse state than it was during the era of Indira Gandhi," Singh said.
Earlier, launching a sharp counter-offensive against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s central leadership, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday said the Congress has "deteriorated completely" and described the grand old party as a "group of madmen" struggling to cope with successive electoral defeats.
Dubey invoked the aftermath of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, recalling how opposition stalwarts, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani, stood in Parliament to defend then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi against derogatory remarks by US leaders, maintaining that national dignity came before partisan politics.
"The condition of the entire Congress party has deteriorated. In 1971-72, Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon used derogatory words against Indira ji after the Bangladesh war. Inside the same Parliament, leaders from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Lal Krishna Advani defended her because she was the Prime Minister of the country," Dubey told reporters in New Delhi. (ANI)
Even in 1974 movement against Indira Gandhi, no abuse was used: Union Minister Lalan Singh slams Kharge
