Gandhi-Nehru family has dictatorial moorings: BJP

Observing the 43rd anniversary of imposition of Emergency, the BJP today accused the Gandhi-Nehru family of having a "dictatorial attitude" with its members right from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rahul Gandhi having the feeling of exclusive entitlement to run the country.

"Rahul ji let me tell you, there is a dictatorial attitude within the Gandhi family. The only reason for that is the sense of entitlement that this family of India possesses," BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.

"Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the first Prime Minister of the country, Nehruji to Indiraji, Indiraji to Rajivji, Rajivji to Soniaji, Soniaji to Rahulji, all the members of this family feel that India belongs to them and that only they are entitled to run the government in India," he said.

Recalling the events during the Emergency and criticising the then Congress regime led by Indira Gandhi, Patra said that the Congress gave the slogan of 'India is Indira and Indira is India' during Emergency, similar to 'Hail Hitler' by the Nazis for German dictator Adolf Hitler.

Nehru dealt with the Kashmir issue "with a sense of entitlement," he claimed.

"If there are problems in Kashmir today, it is because of Jawaharlal Nehruji. I would call it a sense of dictatorial attitude of the then Prime Minister that he did not heed to the advises of the then Home Minister respected (Sardar Vallabhbhai) Patelji," Patra charged.

Indira Gandhi was the one who thought she was synonymous with India and it resulted in Emergency, he claimed.

Rajiv Gandhi too had a dictatorial attitude which made him say, on the killing of Sikhs following Indira Gandhi's assassination, that "the earth shakes when a big tree falls," Patra alleged.

Sonia Gandhi was "almost the ruler of this country" for 10 long years "without any accountability," he said referring to the UPA's rule.

Rahul Gandhi, Patra said, "bereft of any quality to become a mass leader, bereft of any quality to serve the people, shows an uncanny sense of entitlement that I am the one who has to become the Prime Minister."