Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of repeatedly amending the country's Constitution to suit their own interests. He pointed out the family's long history of challenging the Constitution, from the time of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the current generation of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. Modi emphasized his commitment to upholding the values of the Constitution and warned against the dangerous trend of using the Constitution for personal gain.
Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty and Constitutional Amendments: A Controversial History
The Nehru-Gandhi family has been at the helm of Indian politics for decades, shaping the country's history and leaving an indelible mark on its constitutional framework. However, their tenure has also been marked by allegations of repeatedly bending the Constitution to serve their personal agendas.
Background
India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was a staunch believer in democracy and constitutionalism. He played a key role in drafting the Indian Constitution, which came into effect in 1950. However, even during Nehru's time, there were concerns about the family's commitment to constitutional norms. For instance, the First Amendment (1951) granted Parliament the power to amend the Constitution by a simple majority, a move criticized as giving the ruling party excessive authority.
Successive Amendments
Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1984. Her time in office was marked by several controversial constitutional amendments, including:
Indira Gandhi's son, Rajiv Gandhi, became Prime Minister in 1984. He introduced the Forty-Fourth Amendment (1985), which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
Current Allegations
In recent years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of further eroding constitutional norms. He has cited the following:
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