Jaitley accuses Congress of delaying economic reforms

With nearly a month left for the start of the monsoon session of Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday accused the Congress of delaying the much-awaited economic reforms in the country.

"If one looks back at the Congress history after Independence, the blots on it are delay in economic reforms by over two decades, transformation of India into a dynastic democracy, the imposition of Emergency in 1975, Operation Blue Star and corruption," Jaitley said in a blog written on the 41st anniversary of the imposition of Emergency by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. 

Jaitley questioned various decisions taken by the Congress, especially by Indira Gandhi which, according to him, proved to be politically counter-productive for the party.

"I wonder whether the current Congress leadership has a view on this subject. Will the Congress have an internal debate on these issues," the minister said. 

Jaitley's assault is seen as another attempt to marginalise the opposition Congress who which has been blocking the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill in Parliament for a year. 

While the central government is trying to garner support for the early passage of the constitutional amendment bill, the Congress wants the government to accept its proposed changes to the bill in lieu of its support. 

The monsoon session of Parliament is expected to start in the third week of July.

In his blog, the minister accused the Congress of turning the country into a totalitarian state during the Emergency. 

"The impact of the Emergency was to inflict a dictatorship on the country. All political opponents were detained. The authority of the courts to hear a challenge against the detentions was suspended. The Supreme Court caved in before the dictator. The Press was subjected to pre-censorship. The Press became a spokesperson of the dictator," Jaitley said. 

The minister said that the collapse of the media and the Supreme Court before the dictatorship was the most significant phenomenon of that time.