45 years to the darkest era of democracy- The Emergency! Here's what the ministers say today-

NewsBharati    25-Jun-2020 12:11:31 PM
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New Delhi, June 25: 45 years ago around midnight on June 25/26, 1975, the President of India issued this proclamation: “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 352 of the Constitution, I, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, President of India, by this Proclamation declare that a grave emergency exists whereby the security of India is threatened by internal disturbances.” This ‘National Emergency’ could be described as an instrument by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to ‘govern a democratic polity through despotic means’ and in the process extinguishing freedom and liberty.
 
Emergency is at once an energising and misleading prism to think about the state and the fate of our democracy. It is energising as the struggle against Indira Gandhi’s authoritarianism invokes powerful memories. Here is what the Ministers say remembering the darrkest era of the democracy.

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Amit Shah : On this day, 45 years ago one family’s greed for power led to the imposition of the Emergency. Overnight the nation was turned into a prison. The press, courts, free speech...all were trampled over. Atrocities were committed on the poor and downtrodden. Due to efforts of lakhs of people, the Emergency was lifted. Democracy was restored in India but it remained absent in the Congress. The interests of one family prevailed over party interests and national interests. This sorry state of affairs thrives in today’s Congress too! As one of India’s opposition parties, Congress needs to ask itself: Why does the Emergency mindset remain? Why are leaders who don’t belong to 1 dynasty unable to speak up? Why are leaders getting frustrated in Congress? Else, their disconnect with people will keep widening.
Ravi Shankar Prasad : On 25th June 1975 draconian Emergency was imposed by the Congress Govt led by PM Indira Gandhi. Major opposition leaders including Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, Bharat Ratna Atal Behari Vajpayee, L. K. Advani, Chandrashekhar and lakhs of people of India were arrested. Media was censored and even judges were superseded. All these rank anti democratic measures were taken to save the PM's chair of Indira Gandhi whose election to Lok Sabha from Raebareli was found to be based on malpractices and declared as illegal by the Allahabad High Court. Ultimately people of India voted massively against the Congress Party in 1977 Lok Sabha election and even Indira Gandhi was defeated and the first non-Congress Govt came to power at center. I was fortunate that as an activist of J.P. Movement from Bihar I fought against Emergency. Today is the day to recall the heroic sacrifices of people of India against the grossly undemocratic behaviour of the Congress Party. The legacy still continues. Let the new generations draw the right lessons.
Piyush Goyal : 1975 Emergency is the darkest period in independent India's history. Embarking on a new path, our Govt has created a new India which strengthens democracy. Let us reaffirm our commitment to civil liberties, independent judiciary & constitutional values.
Narendra Sawaikar : Today 45 years back, Congress Govt. imposed #Emergency1975 & overnight all freedoms of speech, press, life, courts were trampled. Indian Express published blank editorial column.With thousands in Goa,lakhs were jailed across India. Congressi Emergency mindset still continues.
Suresh Nakhua : Then PM of India, Smt Indira Gandhi (daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mother of Rajiv Gandhi, Mother in law of #OutonBail Antonia Maino& Grandmother of #OutonBail Raul Vinci) imposed #Emergency1975 in India after proven guilty of Electoral Malpractices.
Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe : 45 years back it was on this day that the nation was converted into a big jail ! Simply to perpetuate a dynasty, democracy was crippled to such an extent that even so many decades after, India’s democracy rating is lowered because of this blot! Many RSS and ABVPVoice as also Jan Sangh workers braved the onslaught of #Emergency1975! Several Leftists were also there. But later they sided with those who imposed that draconian rule. Between Dynasty and Democracy, they sided with the former.
Dr Satya Pal Singh : During #Emergency1975, millions had to face forced sterilization, basic rights were stripped & the press was strangled. Let us ensure the days and the people in power never come back again. #Emergency1975HauntsIndia
Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale : On the midnight of 25th June 1975, Indira Gandhi subverted democracy and compelled parliament, administration courts to fall on their knees in front of her dictatorship. Understand the depth of assault on India by Indira under emergency
B L Santhosh : That dark day 45 years ago . When Congress led by Smt Indira Gandhi imposed emergency & trampled upon the fundamental rights of ordinary people of the country & put opposition leaders & civic activists behind bars . #Emergency1975HauntsIndia.
Kiren Rijiju : 45 years ago today, was the darkest chapter in India’s history, the imposition of the Emergency. Congress should ask for forgiveness from the country for how the country suffered under its tyrannical regime. #Emergency1975HauntsIndia
Sarbananda Sonowal : India was pushed into the abyss of darkness with the declaration of Emergency by the Congress' first family. On its anniversary, I salute the lakhs of men and women who fought to save the nation and keep alive the world's largest democracy. #Emergency1975HauntsIndia
The declaration of Emergency rushed an independent India into a chaos of restrictions as an unchallenged creation of laws. The state of emergency was officially declared by the erstwhile President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under article 352 of the Constitution due to the internal inflammatory situation in the country, under which civil rights, as well as elections, were suspended. The media also came under attack during the emergency period. On June 26th, 1975 a law was passed to prevent 'scurrilous' and 'malicious' articles in the newspapers and journals of the time. The process of restructuring of news agencies, as well as the closure of Press Council of India, had commenced. The fourth pillar of democracy came under major threat as censorship of the press was declared.
 
The right to question and seek answers was muzzled to an extent that the newspapers presented a toned down and disciplined version of events. The Indira Gandhi government used the "security of the state" and "promotion of disaffection" specified in Article 19 (2) as its defense for imposing strict control on the Press, as per scholar Dr. Jhumur Ghosh. “When Indira Gandhi asked the media to bend, it crawled,” LK Advani famously said during the time. To uphold the freedom to some extent, various newspapers presented the declaration of the State of Emergency as well as the rule by decree in their own unique and thought-provoking ways. The imposition of 'thought-control' was battled out on the peripheries as well as from the heart of the conflict.
India Emergency Indira Gandhi Media 1975-77