Taking an scathing attack on Congress by raising questions over failure to introduce Uniform Civil Code across the nation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that Congress is engaging in appeasement politics, asking the party to respond as "whether there should there be a common law for every religion in a secular nation".
Lashing out at Congress over its allegations concerning Electronic Voting Machines, Union Home Minister while concluding the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the 75 years of adoption of the Constitution said that some of those who made complaints about the results in Maharashtra celebrated it in Jharkhand, where JMM-led INDIA bloc won the Assembly elections.
He asked why UCC has not been implemented yet.
"Why hasn't UCC come yet? It didn't come because after the Constituent Assembly was concluded and elections were over, the country's first PM Nehruji introduced Muslim Personal Law, not UCC. I want to ask the Congress party in this House that in a secular nation, should there be a common law for every religion or not? Why do they support the Muslim Personal Law? There can be no bigger political manoeuvre than this.They started appeasement right there by introducing the Muslim Personal Law.You cannot bring the UCC because you cannot rise above the politics of appeasement. In Uttarakhand, our (BJP) government has implemented the Uniform Civil Code in the state," he said.
Home Minister Shah launched attacks on Congress over some of the constitutional amendments made during party rule in the past.
"The 39th Amendment in the Constitution crossed all the limits. On August 10, 1975 was a black day. Indira Gandhi's elections were declared null and void by the Allahabad High Court. After they lose, they roam around with EVMs. They say the EVMs defeated them.When they lose they blame the EVMs. Two Assembly election results came out on the same day. Maharashtra ne opposition ka soopda saaf kar diya (bowled them out).for disrespecting the mandate. So the EVMs are faulty in Maharashtra, but when they won in Jharkhand, they wore new clothes and rushed to take the oath. People are watching, you must be ashamed. How is it possible that EVM is working fine at one place and not at the other? he asked.
The Union Home Minister said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had sought to find out whether people could hack into EVMs, but nobody appeared for the same.
"The EC kept the EVM from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three days open for anyone to prove if it could be hacked. No one came. The Supreme Court rejected the petitions on EVMs 24 times," he said.
Amit Shah said that the Allahabad High Court declared the election of Indira Gandhi null and void and slammed some constitutional amendments done by her government.
"So she prohibited the judicial inquiry of a Prime Minister through amendment. I want to ask my Communist brothers to introspect on whom are they sitting," Home Minister Shah said.
"The 42nd Amendment of the Constitution was made when Indira Gandhi was the PM. The tenure of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha was increased to six years. They did it because they would have lost if the elections had taken place at the right time. The members of Congress started remaining absent as they could not oppose. An amendment was made that the quorum was not required in both the Houses. The period of the President's rule was increased by 6 months," Shah added.
The debate on 75 years of the Constitution started in Rajya Sabha on Monday and lasted two days. Lok Sabha had the debate last week.
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