LUCKNOW, Nov. 4 -- Union health minister and former BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of having a worse record on civil liberties than the British, citing the arrests during the Emergency under Indira Gandhi. "Even the British didn't jail as many Indians as Indira Gandhi did," Nadda said at the BJP's 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' padyatra in Bareilly. He led the march that drew a sizeable turnout of workers, local leaders and supporters, as part of BJP's nationwide counter-offensive to INDIA bloc's November 1 Ramlila Maidan rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union minister and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary and other alliance leaders took part in the march. "Rahul Baba, you try to act very smart. Just remember that your grandmother put 1,30,000 people in jail during Emergency for 22 months without any argument, without any appeal, and without any reason. And there was no hearing for 22 months. And you talk about democracy?" Nadda said while addressing the gathering before the padyatra. "Friends, I want to tell you that during freedom struggle, even the British did not put as many people in jail as Indira Gandhi did during Emergency," Nadda said, adding that Congress had no moral authority to lecture anyone on democracy when its own history was marked by "absolute authoritarianism". Nadda alleged that Congress and its allies in INDIA bloc, including Samajwadi Party, were attempting to erode public trust in constitutional institutions, particularly Election Commission. "Some irresponsible parties, especially this INDI Alliance, and specifically Congress and Samajwadi Party... these people are making malicious attempts to break people's trust in the Election Commission," he said.htc...