Indira 'tallest leader', Modi 'authoritarian', says Congress
New Delhi, June 26 : The Congress on Tuesday slammed the BJP for comparing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Hitler and hit out at Union Minister Arun Jaitley for "distortion of history".
Congress leader Anand Sharma also attacked Narendra Modi and said India was now witnessing a systematic subversion of all institutions that uphold the Constitution and democracy under the watch of an "authoritarian Prime Minister and arrogant government".
"Indira Gandhi was the tallest leader of her times and a democratically elected popular Prime Minister. Jaitley's comparison of Indira with Hitler "is absurd, outrageous and a distortion of history", Sharma tweeted.
"Indira Gandhi's elected government was sought to be destabilised by unconstitutional and undemocratic methods. Emergency was an aberration and Indira Gandhi had herself expressed regret," Sharma added.
Sharma said Jaitley was suffering from selective loss of memory.
"Dictators do not hold elections. Let BJP be reminded that Indira Gandhi lifted Emergency to hold free and fair elections. She herself lost and she accepted defeat and the verdict with humility."
The Emergency came into force on June 25, 1975, leading to suspension of fundamental rights. It lasted till March 21, 1977. The Congress led by Indira Gandhi was voted out of power in the elections held then.
"Jaitley and BJP's obsession with Hitler is understandable. He comes from the RSS-BJP school who celebrate Hitler and eulogise fascism," Sharma added.
Sharma added that "the debate was decisively settled in 1980 when the people of India brought Indira Gandhi back with a thumping majority and dumped her tormentors and opponents in the dustbin of history".
Hitting out at Modi, Sharma said: "What India is witnessing today is a systematic subversion of all institutions that uphold our Constitution and democracy under the watch of an authoritarian Prime Minister and arrogant government, leading to centralisation of power."
"BJP-RSS cannot insult her memory or belittle her Martyrdom. People of India will remember her as a hero," he added.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
