Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on those who imposed the Emergency in 1975, saying it was not just a “murder of the Constitution” but also an attempt to turn the judiciary into a “slave.”
In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’, PM Modi urged the nation to remember the resilience of those who resisted the Emergency and to draw inspiration from their courage to safeguard the Constitution.
“Those who imposed Emergency not only murdered our Constitution but also had the intention to keep the judiciary as their slave,” PM Modi said, referring to the 21 months of Emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975.
He reminded citizens that the Emergency era was marked by widespread abuse of power and suppression of civil liberties.
Recounting the observance of ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ – commemorated every year on June 25 to mark the imposition of the Emergency – PM Modi said, “During that time, inhumane atrocities were inflicted on our people.”
Highlighting the power of public resistance, the Prime Minister said, “With the power of public participation, big crises can be confronted,” and played archival audio of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai to illustrate the extent of the Emergency’s impact.
In the clip, Desai is heard saying, “After all, the oppression that happened for two years, the oppression had started 5-7 years ago. But it has reached its peak in the last 2 years, when emergency was imposed on people and people were treated inhumanly. People’s right to freedom was snatched away, newspapers were left without freedom. Courts were made completely powerless. And the way more than one lakh people were put in jail and then arbitrary rule continued, it is difficult to find its traces in the history of the world.”
PM Modi said Desai’s words reflected the severity of the crisis, describing the period as one where “people were tormented on a large scale.”
He noted that figures like George Fernandes were “tied in chains,” while many others faced brutal torture.
“Under the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act), anyone could be arrested without warning. Students were harassed, and freedom of expression was silenced,” PM Modi added.
He lauded the strength of the Indian people for resisting authoritarian rule. “The people of India did not bow, they did not break, and they refused to compromise with democracy. In the end, the people’s will prevailed – the Emergency was lifted, and those who imposed it were defeated,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi also played audio speech of Babu Jagjivan Ram, in which the leader described the 1977 elections not merely an electoral event but “a great campaign of the people of India to turn the tide of dictatorship and to strengthen the foundation of democracy in India.”
In another audio clip, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was heard declaring, “A peaceful revolution has taken place. The wave of people’s power has thrown the killers of democracy into the dustbin of history.”
Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency’s imposition, PM Modi said, “We countrymen have observed the ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’. We should always remember all those people who fought the Emergency with fortitude. This inspires us to remain constantly vigilant to keep our Constitution strong and enduring.”
(With inputs from IANS)
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