Mann ki Baat: Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered, says PM Modi

Those who fought Emergency should always be remembered, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (June 29), playing the remarks of leading anti-Emergency politicians in his monthly radio broadcast.

He went on to slam the then Congress government for atrocities on people, and said they should always be remembered as it inspires people to stay alert to keep the Constitution strong.

Murdering democracy

Speaking in his 123 rd Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said those who imposed the Emergency not only murdered the Constitution but also made judiciary their puppet.

Further, he quoted former Indian PM Morarji Desai as describing the Emergency in brief as, "Not only did those who imposed Emergency murder democracy, but their intention was to keep the judiciary as their puppet... Under 'MISA', anyone was arrested arbitrarily, people were tortured... Indians refused to compromise on democracy. Finally, people won and Emergency was lifted."

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Emergency was a tough period for India, Modi added. George Fernandes was shackled, he noted and recalled that anyone could be arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) at that time. Students didn't have the freedom to express themselves. Democracy had entered a dark period during those years.

He played bits of speeches of former prime minister Morarji Desai and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram related to the period.

Bitter war of words

His condemnation of the Congress for the Emergency-era excesses without naming the party of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi comes amid an ongoing bitter war of words between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties, which have claimed that an undeclared Emergency prevails under the Modi government.

Modi said people were tortured on a large scale during the Emergency for the 21-month period between 1975 and 1977. There are many examples which cannot be forgotten, he added.

Strength of Indians

Thousands of people were arrested and subjected to inhuman treatment, but it is the strength of Indians that they did now bow and accept any compromise with democracy, he said.

People finally won, the Emergency was lifted and those who imposed it lost, he said.

Noting that the 50th anniversary of Emergency was commemorated recently as 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas', he said those who fought against it must always be remembered.

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The Emergency was imposed on June 25, 1975 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

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