Not situation, leader's mindset leads to Emergency: Shah
Ahmedabad, June 26: Marking the 43rd anniversary of Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 as a "Black Day", BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday said mindset of the leaders and not the prevailing situations lead to an Emergency.
"Emergency does not come because of situations and ordinances, it comes due to the mindset of the leader. Ordinance is just the clothing in which it comes. Only those who do not believe in democracy can think about Emergency," he said addressing party workers here.
Shah said BJP governments too came and went away but the thought of Emergency never crossed their mind.
"We have lost our government for one vote, lost our government in 13 days but never thought about an Emergency. And, when Congress leaders raise concerns about freedom of speech, I urge them to look back when their forefathers crushed democracy in the country," he said.
Congress, which killed internal democracy for dynastic politics, is in no position to promote democracy in the country, Shah said, adding that the party introduced three evils in the country's politics - dynasty, casteism and appeasement - and these led to the Emergency.
"I strongly feel Congress and family members of Indira Gandhi do not have any right to talk about freedom of speech. They jailed 140,000 people for 19 months, put restrictions on all newspapers, Akashwani (All India Radio) had become Sarkarwani (government's mouthpiece)."
Shah said India gave the first republic to the world and it was Congress' Indira Gandhi who first attempted to destroy the country's democracy by imposing Emergency, by using Article 356 to topple opposition governments in the states and by muzzling media and people's voices.
"Emergency is remembered in many ways including as a struggle against the mindset to scuttle democracy. But I wish to say democracy is so deep-rooted in the country that even 100 Indira Gandhis would have failed to wipe out democracy from the country," he said.
Congress leaders who raise questions about freedom of speech should read about the history of June 26, 1975 to understand how their party misused power to destroy the constitutional institutions of the country and what led to the fall of Congress, once a large party, he said.
Shah said it was the responsibility of all who want to protect the country's democracy to strengthen the BJP which is neither a party that follows dynastic politics nor casteism or appeasement.
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Dead man's eye goes missing at Bihar hospital, doctors blame rats, family suspects foul play
Patna (PTI): One eye of a man who was shot at was found missing hours after his death at a state-run hospital in the Bihar capital, with doctors blaming rats for gnawing it and the deceased's family members suspecting foul play.
Fantush Kumar, who was admitted to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna after being shot at by unknown assailants on November 15, succumbed to his injuries on Friday night.
His body was kept on the ICU bed as post-mortem examination could not be conducted at night. The autopsy was conducted on Saturday morning.
"As the body was being brought from the morgue, we noticed that the left eye was missing and a surgical blade was lying on the stretcher beside the body," a family member said.
The family members alleged negligence and foul play, while some doctors suspected that rats might have gnawed the eye.
Speaking to reporters, NMCH medical superintendent Binod Kumar Singh said, "A medical team has been constituted to probe the matter. It's a serious issue and strict action must be taken against those found guilty."
"A group of doctors suspect that rats might have gnawed the eye. All aspects pertaining to the incident are being probed. We are also waiting for the autopsy report," he said.
"How the eye was gouged out can only be known after receiving the autopsy report. The hospital administration has also lodged a formal complaint with the Alamganj police station in this regard," the medical superintendent said.
Speaking to PTI on Sunday, Rajiv Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Alamganj police station, said, "A case has been registered on the basis of a formal complaint filed by the hospital administration. We are examining the CCTV footage of the hospital and also sought clarifications from the doctors who performed the post-mortem examination. We are also examining family members of the deceased as well as other hospital staffers. The case is being investigated from all angles."
Family members of the deceased have not lodged any complaint so far.
