'India Gandhi misused Art 356 fifty times': PM Modi hits back at Congress during Rajya Sabha debate

Article 356 of the Indian Constitution pertains to the imposition of “President’s Rule” in a state, removing an elected government.

Speaking amid non-stop "probe Adani" chants and hooting by the Opposition over the allegations, PM Modi said the Congress highlighted its own controversies while pointing fingers at his government.

"They [Congress] say we keep troubling states, but they have toppled elected state governments 90 times. One Congress PM used Article 356 fifty times to dismiss elected state governments. That was Indira Gandhi," the Prime Minister said.

"This country is not the property of any family."

Congress and other opposition parties have been attacking the BJP-led Centre ever since American short-seller Hindenburg Research accused Adani Group of accounting fraud and stock manipulation.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged PM Modi of crony capitalism in his speech in parliament on Tuesday amid allegations involving billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate.

Successive Congress governments at the Centre used Article 356 against the state governments led by the Left and regional parties.

Jawaharlal Nehru’s government had used the article six times until 1959.

Under his prime ministership, Article 356 was used to unseat the first ever elected communist government in Kerala in 1959.

In the 1960s, there were 11 instances when it was used. Under Indira Gandhi’s regime, Article 356 was used seven times between 1967 and 1969 alone. Between 1970 and 1974, President’s Rule was imposed 19 times.

After Emergency, the Janata Party government used it in 1977 to summarily dismiss nine Congress state governments. When Indira became the prime minister once again in 1980, her government too imposed President’s Rule in nine states.

In 1992-93, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao dismissed three BJP governments post the demolition of Babri Masjid, apart from Kalyan Singh’s government in UP.