New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Friday accused the previous Congress governments of misusing Article 356 of the Indian Constitution to topple the opposition governments in states.
Intervening in the debate in the Lok Sabha on 75 years of the Indian Constitution, Singh said those who have insulted the Constitution are now walking with a copy of the Constitution and trying to show off as if they are protecting it.
Singh said the Congress could do anything to be in power, and all their Prime Ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, have several times invoked Article 356 of the Constitution to topple elected governments in the states.
Singh said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can protect the Constitution, and as long as he is there, nobody can tamper with it.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Arvind Sawant regretted that courts are no longer "independent". There are instances where judges have resigned and joined political parties.
As there is no permanent job in the country, youth are going out of India, he added.
Bahrtruhari Mahtab (BJP) said it is because of the mistake committed by Nehru in Kashmir, generation after generation is suffering, and scores of armed personnel have died.
Mahtab said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel could have incorporated Kashmir, like other princely states, into India at the time of Independence. But he could not do so because Nehru intervened.
Mahtab also said that Modi, on August 5, 2019, has rectified that mistake by abrogating Article 370, which accorded special status to Jammu & Kashmir.
However, CPI-M member R Sachithanantham said the Constitution is facing the "biggest" threat in its history.
He alleged that the Modi-government ministers always talk about changing it, and at present, all the institutions are being "eroded", and their integrity is compromised.
Samajwadi Party member Awadhesh Prasad said, "We will not allow changes in the Constitution".
He added that the BJP government is destroying religious places, and they have hurt the dignity of Ayodhya.