Amidts the political unrest in Rajasthan, Congress on Twitter posted a photo of former PM Indira Gandhi with her quote on 'respecting the electoral mandate'.
The party, through its official handle, wrote, "Respecting the electoral mandate is quintessential in a democracy. Even the slightest attempt to subvert it is an insult to the hardworking citizens."
The post, however, did not go well with the netizens who slammed the party for its 'hypocrisy of not following the electoral mandate in Maharashtra'.
Some users also reminded the party about the infamous emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975 and the several instances when she imposed the President's rule in states during her tenure.
One user commented, "Indira Gandhi turned Article 356 into a political tool as she used it 50 times in 16 years of power to dismiss elected govts. Not to forget Emergency off course Indira Gandhi was many things including a patriot but symbol of Democracy she wasn't."
"Absolutely! And that's the reason the INC India should quit the Maharashtra govt where it shamelessly enjoys being part of an illegitimate govt alliance," wrote one user.
"All you're doing is reminding us of the many, many, MANY times Indira and the Congress party subverted democracy," commented another.
Check out the other reactions here:
Indira Gandhi and emergency:
On June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared Emergency and she addressed the nation at 8 am the following day. She informed the nation that Emergency has been declared due to “internal disturbance” and there was nothing to panic about. The former PM is largely criticised for this decision till the date.
India Gandhi and President's rule:
Indira Gandhi imposed the most number of President's rule in her tenures. The Congress PM was in power from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 to October 1984. A total of 50 times President’s rule was imposed under her tenure. Her first term saw the 35 instances of the President's rule and in the second term the rule was imposed for 15 times.
According to Article 356 of the constitution, President’s rule can be imposed in a state “if a situation has arisen in which the government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the constitution."
Ambedkar had hoped that Article 356 would remain a dead letter, but it would be the go-to method to dismiss democratically-elected state governments until the Supreme Court stepped in SR Bommai vs Union of India.
Meanwhile, the political crisis in Rajasthan is becoming more troublesome for the Congress party as the BJP on Saturday asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan resorted to "unconstitutional" methods to tap phones of politicians and demanded a CBI probe into what it called a "saga of illegalities and concocted lies".
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit back at the Congress a day after it cited some audio clips to accuse some saffron party leaders, including Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, of conspiring to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in the state.
Patra said senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Gehlot, have been claiming that these audio clips are authentic even though the FIR registered by police does not say so.
"These are serious questions that we want to ask the Congress high command and Ashok Gehlot. Was phone taping done? Assuming that you've taped phones, was the SOP followed? Did the Congress government in Rajasthan use unconstitutional ways to save themselves when they found themselves cornered?" Patra asked at a press conference.
People of Rajasthan want to know whether their privacy has been compromised, he said, asking if phones of people related to politics are being tapped? Patra demanded an immediate reaction from the state government and called for a CBI investigation into this "saga of illegalities and concocted lies".
The Congress on Friday demanded the arrest of union minister Shekhawat and rebel Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma after two audio clips surfaced pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to topple the Gehlot government.
Shekhawat has denied the charge, saying his voice is not in these clips. He said he was ready to face any probe.
(With inputs from PTI)
