'Wasn't given parole for my mother's last rites during Emergency': Rajnath Singh hits out at Cong over 'dictatorship' charge

Defence minister Rajnath Singh (ANI photo)

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday hit out at the Congress over its 'dictatorship' charge at the Modi government and said that the real dictatorship was during the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"People who imposed dictatorship through Emergency are now accusing us of dictatorship," he told ANI in an interview.

Recounting the 1975 Emergency, Singh turned emotional and revealed that he could not even be present for his mother's last rites as he was in jail, like the other opposition leaders.

"I was not given parole to attend my mother's last rites during the Emergency, and now Congress calls us dictators. I could not even meet her during her final days when she was admitted in the hospital for 27 days," the defence minister revealed.

Singh said that his mother suffered brain hemorrhage a year after he was jailed. "My cousin told her that Emergency has been extended by another year. She suffered a brain hemorrhage on learning this. When she died, I could not come ... I did not get released, did not get parole. I got my head shaved in the jail, the last rites were performed by my brothers ... and imagine they make allegations of dictatorship against us, they do not look within," he added.

Rajnath Singh was made convenor for Mirzapur-Sonbhadra during the JP Movement against Emergency which was imposed in June 1975. Emergency was imposed in India between 1975-77 by then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on the advice of Indira Gandhi.

"I was jailed for 18 months as we were opposing the Emergency. We created awareness among people on how Emergency is dangerous and reflects dictatorial tendency," he said.