New Delhi, December 16 (IANS). NCP leader Praful Patel rejected Congress’s claim of providing independence to the country and said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday that Congress was not a political party that fought for the country’s independence. The political Congress party was born after independence.
During the discussion that began today in the House on the 75-year journey of the Constitution, he said that a few leaders did not give independence to the country. The common people of this country have given independence to the country. People like Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh, Birsa Munda have provided independence. Praful Patel said these things in response to the statement given by Congress MPs.
The NCP leader said, “We were also with the Congress earlier, our father was also involved in the freedom struggle. The Congress party was formed after independence. The Azadi Congress was not a political party. It was a freedom movement. The common man brought freedom. If the common man had not joined the movement, he would not have achieved freedom.
Praful Patel said that behind the unity of the entire country is the power of our Constitution. Our neighboring countries also got independence along with us. After that he also made the constitution. But their constitution and democratic systems could not survive. He gave the credit for the strengthening of the Constitution and democratic systems in India to Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.
He said that if there was any biggest blemish on democracy, it was during the Emergency between 1975 and 1977. During the Emergency, people were deprived of their basic rights. People were caught and put in jail. People hid in the fields because they feared forced sterilization.
The NCP MP taunted and said that the opposition leaders talk about caste census. Reservation for SC/ST is part of our Constitution. Mandal Commission was formed after looking at the social system of the country. Who accepted the recommendation of Mandal Commission? In the government of Rajiv Gandhi, the recommendations of the Mandal Commission were placed in the Parliament, but in the government of Vishwanath Pratap Singh, these recommendations were accepted.
Without taking the name of Rahul Gandhi, Praful Patel said that those who carry around the Constitution book and talk about caste census, they should know when the work of giving rights to these tribes was done and by whom.
–IANS
GCB/AKJ