Congress criticism on ordinances like devil quoting scriptures: BJP

The party also added that a record number of ordinances were issued during previous Congress regimes

Attacking the Congress for spreading "disinformation" against the government on the land bill, BJP today said the opposition's criticism on issuing ordinances was like "the devil quoting scriptures".

Bringing out the past record of previous Congress regimes, the ruling party said a record number of ordinances were issued during the time and the opposition parties had no right to accuse them of "murder of democracy"

The BJP also armed its MPs with records of previous regimes on ordinances and asked them to "expose" those criticising them before the crucial land bill is taken up for passage in Parliament.

"Congress party criticising the Ordinance route is like a devil quoting scriptures.Their record is worse. They have issued ordinances umpteen number of times. 456 ordinances were issued in last 50 years," Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.

He said while 77 ordinances were issued during Jawaharlal Nehru's time, as many as 77 ordinances were issued during six years of Indira Gandhi's regime, when three ordinances were issued every two months and 35 ordinances were issued during Rajiv Gandhi's time.

"CPI-M-supported United Front regime issued 77 ordinances, three ordinances per month. Bills passed are only 61 and 77 ordinances were issued by the United Front government which was ably supported by the Communist party, which is taking objection to the issuance of ordinances, which was done after wider consultations after taking stakeholders into confidence," he said.