Ranebennur, June 28 (UNI) In a scathing critique of the Congress-led government in Karnataka, former Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai today questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s commitment to constitutional values, asking whether he stood for Dr BR Ambedkar's Constitution or Indira Gandhi's version that oversaw the Emergency.
Speaking at an event titled "The Untold Stories of the Dark Days of Emergency" organised by Citizens for Social Justice, Bommai alleged that an undeclared emergency was in force in the state and warned that the Congress government would meet the same fate as Indira Gandhi’s regime.
"The state is slipping into a police raj," Bommai said, adding, "This is not governance, this is appeasement politics masquerading as administration."
Recounting his memories from the Emergency era, Bommai said he and BJP leader Ananth Kumar had mobilised student protests in Hubballi-Dharwad in 1975. He recalled how students were arrested and how Ananth Kumar was jailed while seeking their release. "We didn’t understand politics back then, but we understood freedom," he said, warning that similar authoritarian tendencies were visible again.
He recalled how the Supreme Court verdict against Indira Gandhi in the 1970s should have led to her resignation, but instead, she imposed an Emergency. Thousands were jailed, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Yediyurappa, with over 4,000 cases filed against RSS members alone.
"It was said back then—'Indira is India, and India is Indira'. Today, Congress leaders chant 'Sonia Mata Ki Jai' instead of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'," he said, alleging a culture of political slavery in the Congress.
Taking a dig at Siddaramaiah, Bommai accused the CM of abandoning his past opposition to the Emergency for political convenience. "Siddaramaiah fought against Indira Gandhi once, now he defends the very family that tried to crush democracy," Bommai said, referring to Rahul Gandhi’s symbolic use of the Constitution.
Bommai also pointed out that the words “secular” and “socialist” were added to the Constitution during the Emergency for political appeasement. He cited RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale’s recent comment backing Ambedkar’s original draft and urged Siddaramaiah to clarify his stand.
"Do you support Ambedkar’s Constitution or Indira Gandhi’s amendments?" Bommai asked.
Calling the current situation in Karnataka an “undeclared emergency,” he said those who speak on sensitive issues are instantly slapped with cases. "Karnataka is not a police state. People's power will prevail over state power as it did in 1977," he asserted.
On the political front, Bommai predicted midterm elections in Karnataka by 2026. "The sins of bad governance are overflowing. BJP will return with a people’s mandate," he declared.
Praising the Modi government, he said it had lifted 25 crore people out of poverty in the last 11 years. "To make India developed by 2047, we must protect democracy and the Constitution’s core," he added, calling this a “second freedom struggle” to safeguard civil liberties.
The event saw the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, former MLAs, BJP district leaders, and emergency-era political prisoners.
UNI BDN GNK