Shimla, Jun 27 (PTI) Raking up the issue of Emergency after fifty years is "meaningless", said Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Friday.
He claimed that the BJP is raising the issue to divert people's attention from the failures of their government, Rathore said.
The failure of the foreign policy of the BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is evident and it also failed to tackle the burning issues like rising prices, unemployment and law and order, he told PTI Videos.
"The constitution is under threat," he said.
Supporting the statement of Congress president Malikarjun Kharge that there was an undeclared Emergency in the country, Rathore said that central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation are being misused to intimidate the political opponents and questions are also being raised in the impartiality of the Election Commission.
Taking strong exception to the remarks of BJP leaders including cabinet ministers that people got liberty to speak only after 2014, Rathore questioned that there was no freedom of speech during earlier governments including the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He accused the BJP of spreading rumours regarding the imposition of Emergency 50 years ago.
The BJP is negating the contribution of earlier governments and even trying to put pressure on the Judiciary. They have become a washing machine for tainted leaders which is a symptom of undeclared emergency, Rathore alleged.
He also expressed his shock and dismay over logs of timber floating on rivers after rains which indicated illicit tree felling and urged the chief minister to take action against the forest department officials and others responsible for it.
He said that a large number of wooden logs were swept and seen floating after heavy rains in 2023 and the same scenario was repeated this year after the first heavy rains.