4 Constitutional amendments for personal gains Vs 4 for public welfare: Amit Shah rips into Congress

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, replying to the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, lashed out at Congress-ruled governments from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi regimes and said that all the amendments were brought to serve one family’s interests.

In an unsparing attack, Amit Shah also took a caustic jibe at the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Without taking names, he said the 54-year-old leader calls himself a youth leader and brazenly brags from public forums that he will amend the Constitution.

He said that the BJP ruled the country for a total of 16 years (6 years during Atal Bihari Vajpayee and 10 years under PM Modi) and brought 22 amendments to the Constitution while Congress in a period of 55 years effected 77 amendments.

The Home Minister also dug out many 'illegitimate and unlawful' amendments during the past Congress governments and compared four constitutional amendments during the Congress and BJP dispensations, to ‘expose’ the intent and motives of Congress-led regimes.

He said that both parties amended the Constitution but what differentiates the two is the intention and motive behind the amendment. Their amendments were driven by personal motives, while ours was guided by national interest.

“The first amendment was brought on June 18, 1951, during Jawaharlal Nehru's government. 19 (A) was introduced in the Constitution to curb the freedom of expression of people. The twenty-fourth amendment was brought by the Indira Gandhi government on November 5, 1971, which gave Parliament ‘unbridled’ powers to curtail the fundamental principles of citizens,” the Home Minister informed the House.

He added, “The 39th amendment was brought on August 10, 1975, marking the dark chapter in Indian democracy. As Allahabad High Court had declared Indira’s election as illegal, her government brought an amendment with retrospective effect to nullify the court verdict.”

“Under the 45th amendment, the Lok Sabha tenure was extended from five years to six years, fearing defeat in elections while the tenure of President’s rule was extended by six months,” he pointed out.

He said that Congress governments brought many amendments but these four expose the mentality and motive of the party as all this was done to safeguard one family’s interest and serve their personal agendas.

The Home Minister further went to share four amendments brought under the BJP government, spotlighting the fact that all were brought for people’s welfare.

“Under the 101st amendment brought on July 1, 2017, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was brought as part of the 'one nation-one tax' policy. This move brought parity in taxation across the country and benefitted crores of citizens,” he said.

“Under the 102nd amendment, the OBC commission was given constitutional status. Under the 103rd amendment (January 12, 2019), 10 per cent reservation was given to people from backward communities. The 106th amendment gave 33 per cent reservation to women by bringing Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,” Amit Shah said.

He added that when the women's reservation comes into effect and 33 per cent women MPs represent their constituency in the House, this will realise the dream and vision of our forefathers.