Your 4 Constitution Amendments For One 'Family', Ours For Public: Shah's Roaring Attack on Congress

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a roaring attack on Congress, contrasting the amendments to the Constitution made by the BJP and the grand old party. Shah compared four constitutional amendments under Congress, particularly during the regimes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, with those made by the BJP. He stated that all amendments under Congress were made to serve the interests of a single family. 

“The Opposition says we will change the Constitution. A provision to change the Constitution is already there in our Constitution. "The Congress, during its 55 years of rule, made 77 amendments to our Constitution, while the BJP, in 16 years, did so only 22 times”, said Shah, while listing the amendments made to the Constitution by both Congress and the BJP. 

Amendments During Congress Rule vs Amendments Under BJP Govt 

Shah contrasted four constitutional amendments made during Congress-led governments with four introduced under the BJP, highlighting the differing motivations behind each.   

• First Amendment (June 18, 1951):  “The first amendment was brought on June 18, 1951, during Jawaharlal Nehru’s government. 19 (A) was introduced in the Constitution to curb the freedom of expression of people. 
• 24th Amendment (November 5, 1971): The twenty-fourth amendment was brought by the Indira Gandhi government on November 5, 1971, which gave Parliament ‘unbridled’ powers to curtail the fundamental principles of citizens,” the Home Minister informed the House.
• 39th Amendment (August 10, 1975): “The 39th amendment was brought on August 10, 1975, marking the dark chapter in Indian democracy. As Allahabad High Court had declared Indira’s election as illegal, her government brought an amendment with retrospective effect to nullify the court verdict.”
• 45th Amendment: Under the 45th amendment, the Lok Sabha tenure was extended from five years to six years, fearing defeat in elections while the tenure of President’s rule was extended by six months,” he pointed out.

He highlighted that Congress governments brought many amendments, but these four in particular expose the mentality and motive of the party, as all were done to safeguard one family’s interests and serve their personal agendas. The Home Minister then shared details of four amendments introduced under the BJP government, claiming that all were aimed at benefiting the people.

• 101st Amendment (July 1, 2017):  “Under the 101st amendment brought on July 1, 2017, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced as part of the ‘one nation-one tax’ policy. This move brought parity in taxation across the country and benefitted crores of citizens,” he said.
• 102nd Amendment: “Under the 102nd amendment, the OBC commission was given constitutional status. 
• 103rd Amendment: Under the 103rd amendment (January 12, 2019), 10 per cent reservation was given to people from backward communities. 
• 106th Amendment: The 106th amendment gave 33 per cent reservation to women by bringing Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,” Amit Shah said. He added that when the women’s reservation comes into effect and 33 per cent of women MPs represent their constituencies in the House, it will realize the dream and vision of our forefathers.   

Shah also took a jibe at the Opposition for blaming the EVMs in election losses. Replying to the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha, Shah said that whenever and where ever the Opposition loses elections, they blame the electoral system saying 'EVM Ne Hara Diya'.

"When they lost, they blamed the EVMs, and Maharashtra's people punished them for it. They claimed the EVMs were faulty in Maharashtra but then went to Jharkhand, where they won, and took an oath there, dressed in new clothes. How can this be possible that EVMs are working fine in one state and faulty in another?” asked Shah.