On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, for what he called “changing the Constitution.” Modi said that after India gained independence in 1947, there were no real elections until 1952. Instead, there was a temporary government.
Modi remarked that in 1951, without the people’s choice, Nehru made changes to the Constitution using an ordinance. He claimed these changes hurt the citizens’ right to express themselves, calling it a disrespect to those who created the Constitution.
“The first Prime Minister had his own version of the Constitution and ignored his experienced colleagues,” Modi claimed. He also noted that over the past 60 years, the Constitution has changed 75 times.
Modi further pointed out that Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, continued these changes. Referring to 1971, he said she even changed Supreme Court decisions and diminished the power of the courts.
During his speech, Modi also spoke out against the Emergency declared during Indira Gandhi’s rule in 1975. He said, “When we were celebrating 25 years of our Constitution, it was being ignored. Democracy was harmed, and citizens’ rights were taken away.”
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