Congress threatened SC judges, who tried to hear Ayodhya cases, with impeachment: PM

Alwar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged Sunday that the Congress threatened Supreme Court judges with impeachment when they tried to hear the Ayodhya dispute cases earlier this year.

Without naming anyone, Modi claimed that Congress party's Rajya Sabha members, who are also lawyers, had tried to scare away the apex court judges to ensure the hearing in the cases is delayed until after the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

In an unprecedented move, seven opposition parties led by the Congress had moved a notice for the impeachment of the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra in April this year, accusing him of "misbehaviour" and "misuse" of authority. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejected the notice, saying the case against the then CJI was based on "suspicion and conjectures".

At the political rally in Rajasthan's Alwar district, Modi said the Congress has no faith in democracy and judiciary. "It does not hold dialogue and stall proceedings in Parliament, but the new game they are playing now is dangerous, and this must be debated for a bright future of the country."

"If a Supreme Court judge does not prepare the timetable (for hearing cases) as per their (Congress's) political intentions and wants to hear all to deliver justice on a serious and sensitive issue, such as Ayodhya, then the party's lawyers, who are Rajya Sabha members, start the game of scaring the judges in the name of impeachment," Modi said.

He urged intellectuals to analyse this "dangerous game" of the Congress in the interest of the country.

"They are working to scare judiciary on the ground of their numbers in Rajya Sabha. But we will not let this kaala kaarnama happen in the temple of democracy," he said.

The prime minister said the opposition party has "no courage" to talk about development and hence "they ask about the caste of Modi."

In Rajasthan, Modi praised the BJP's Vasundhara Raje government, saying it has done a lot of work.