‘These 50 years of Emergency
PM Modi recalls Emergency as ‘dark chapter’, says country was ‘turned into a prison’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi era Emergency ahead of Monday’s first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
Emergency a ‘black spot on the Constitution’ of India
PM Modi called the 25 June 1975 Emergency a ‘black spot on the Constitution’ of India. This he said as the Opposition INDI Alliance, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi showed a copy of the Indian Constitution to the Prime Minister.
On June 25, 2024 marks fifty years since Emergency was imposed by the first female Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi.
“The new generation of Bharat must never forget how the Constitution was completely disregarded, torn apart, and the country was turned into a prison, with democracy utterly suppressed.” PM Modi added.
“These 50 years since the Emergency remind us to protect our Constitution and democracy with pride. The countrymen must resolve that such a travesty will never be allowed to happen again. We commit ourselves to ensuring a vibrant democracy and fulfilling the common man’s dreams as outlined by the Indian Constitution”
Emergency 1975
The Emergency, spanning from 1975 to 1977, was a period in India marked by the suspension of civil liberties, censorship of the press, and widespread persecution of political opponents under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
In a broadcast on All India Radio on June 25, 1975, few minutes before the clock struck midnight, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had announced the imposition of Emergency shortly after the Supreme Court stayed the Allahabad High Court’s verdict against her election.
Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution because of prevailing “internal disturbance”, the Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 and ended on 21 March 1977.
The order bestowed upon the Prime Minister the authority to rule by decree, allowing elections to be cancelled and civil liberties to be suspended. For much of the Emergency, most of Gandhi’s political opponents were imprisoned and the press were censored. During this time, mass campaign for vasectomy was spearheaded by her son Sanjay Gandhi.
The final decision to impose an emergency was proposed by Indira Gandhi, agreed upon by the President of India, and ratified by the Cabinet and the Parliament from July to August 1975. It was based on the rationale that there were imminent internal and external threats to the Indian state.
The Government cited threats to national security, as a war with Pakistan had recently been concluded. Due to the war and additional challenges of drought and the 1973 oil crisis, the economy was in poor condition.
The Government claimed that the strikes and protests had paralysed the government and hurt the economy of the country greatly. In the face of massive political opposition, desertion and disorder across the country and the party, Gandhi stuck to the advice of a few loyalists and her younger son Sanjay Gandhi, whose own power had grown considerably over the last few years to become an “extra-constitutional authority”.