'Devil can't quote scriptures': BJP slams Congress carp on land bill's ordinance route

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

Digging out data from previous Congress regimes, the ruling party said a record number of ordinances were issued during the time and that the Opposition 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 in Parliament.

"The Congress criticising the ordinance route is like a devil quoting scriptures. Their record is worse. They have issued ordinances umpteen times. Four hundred and fifty six 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.

"The 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.

Reminding the Congress of its past, Naidu said, "There is a limit for disinformation. Falsehood cannot become the truth by repeating it 10 times. Don't accuse us of murdering democracy. You imposed the Emergency and put lakhs of people behind bars and stifled the media. What was that? You have forgotten all the past."

"Please do some homework before criticising us. Their attitude is like going on pilgrimage to atone for sins," he said.

Talking of the Gujarat model of development, which the Congress has critiqued, the Union Minister said, "Your own government conducted a study through DIPP which says 'Gujarat model has been recognised as the best practice'. This is a DIPP report before the 2014 elections."

He also cited the Supreme Court's observations lauding Gujarat's "best land policy" as per the DIPP study posted on its website ahead of the 2014 elections. He termed the previous central land act as a "fraud".