"We Overcame Dark Chapter Like Emergency As Our Nation...": Amit Shah
New Delhi:
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday slammed Congress for the imposition of Emergency in 1975 and said, "We overcame a dark chapter like the Emergency because our nation never bows down to dictatorship".
Addressing a programme on 50 years of Emergency at Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in Delhi, Mr Shah said that the Emergency was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as she saw a threat to her power, and there was no external danger or internal unrest.
"Today is the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency... There may arise a question why something that happened 50 years ago is being discussed now... When 50 years of any national event are completed, good or bad, its memory fades away in society. If the memory of an event like the Emergency that shook the democracy fades away, then that is harmful to the nation," he said.
"Today, we are the world's largest democracy, and the reason we overcame a dark chapter like the Emergency is that our nation never bows down to dictatorship. The world has witnessed the birth of democracy on this soil. India is the mother of democracy," he added.
Amit Shah said the first non-Congress government was formed in the country in the general elections held after the Emergency.
"At that time, no one would have liked the Emergency except for the dictators and the small group that benefited from it... They had an illusion that no one could challenge them, but after the Emergency, when the first Lok Sabha elections were held, for the first time after independence, a non-Congress government was formed and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister," he said.
"It is difficult to define the Emergency in a single sentence. I have tried to come up with a definition. The conspiracy to convert a multi-party democracy of a democratic country into a dictatorship is an Emergency," he added.
He said the Modi government decided to observe June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas so that "the country remembers how a nation suffers when its leaders turn into dictators".
"During the Emergency, so many drastic changes were made that it came to be known as a 'mini-Constitution'. From the Preamble to the Basic Structure, everything was changed. The judiciary became submissive, and democratic rights were suspended. The nation can never forget. That is why PM Modi decided to observe June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas so that the country remembers how a nation suffers when its leaders turn into dictators," he said.
He said the spirit of the Constitution cannot be upheld by the courts or Parliament alone; it is also the responsibility and right of every citizen.
"I believe Samvidhan Hatya Diwas should be observed collectively and consciously, so that the youth never forget how the Constitution was once silenced," Amit Shah said.
He took a dig at opposition parties over their remarks against the government.
"Today, some people preach about the sanctity of the Constitution. But I want to ask -- which party do you belong to? Remember the morning when Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency on All India Radio. Was Parliament consulted before this? Were the opposition leaders and citizens taken into confidence. Those who talk about protecting democracy today -- were you the Rakshaks (protectors) of the Constitution back then, or its Bhakshaks (destroyers)? They claimed the Emergency was declared to protect the nation. But the truth is -- it was declared to protect their own power," he said.
"There was no threat to national security. There was no external danger, nor any internal unrest. The only threat was to Indira Ji's power, and for that, the Emergency was imposed. At 4 am, an emergency cabinet meeting was called. Babu Jagjivan Ram and Sadar Swaran Singh later said, they were not consulted on any agenda, but were merely informed," he added.
Amit Shah said the Emergency imposed on June 25, 1975, reminds people "of the extent to which Congress can go".
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Hindustan Times
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Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Emergency imposed 50 years ago shook the very foundations of democracy but India overcame that dark chapter because the nation never bows down to dictatorship. Amit Shah took potshots at the Opposition, particularly the Congress party for accusing the ruling dispensation of disregarding the sanctity of the Constitution. (PTI) Shah took potshots at the Opposition, particularly the Congress party for accusing the ruling dispensation of disregarding the sanctity of the Constitution, and said the party's leaders should answer whether they were rakshaks (protectors) of the Constitution or bhakshaks (destroyers) when Emergency was imposed. 'Remember the morning when Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency on All India Radio. Was Parliament consulted before this? Were the opposition leaders and citizens taken into who talk about protecting democracy today — were you rakshaks (protectors) of the Constitution back then, or its bhakshaks (destroyers),' Shah said. Speaking at an event organised by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation to mark the 50th anniversary of Emergency that was imposed by the then Congress government led by Indira Gandhi, Shah said it cannot be defined in a single sentence. '...It was the biggest tragedy of independent India.' Slamming the Congress government for imposing Emergency to protect its power, Shah said it was claimed that the decision was taken to protect the nation. 'The night that Emergency was imposed (on June 25, 1975) was the longest night and the shortest too. It was the longest night because morning dawned after 21 months when democracy was restored; and the shortest night because the rights and freedoms that had taken two years, 11 months and 18 days to frame were taken away in a flash,' he said. On June 25, 1975, Emergency was imposed in the country, curtailing civil liberties and leading to the arrests of political opponents, students and ordinary citizens who opposed Gandhi's decision. Curbs were also put on the media, and freedom of the press was restricted. Urging the youth to understand the genesis of Emergency and why it is still being remembered, he said it was imperative to recall an event which shook the very foundations of our democracy and is dangerous for the nation. 'Today is the 50th anniversary of Emergency. Today is the right day for this seminar. Because when 50 years of any national event, good or bad, are completed, its memory becomes blurred in social life and if the memory of an event like the Emergency, which shook the foundations of democracy, becomes blurred then it is a big danger for any democratic country,' he said. While the opposition parties, particularly the Congress accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government of sidestepping constitutional provisions, Shah recalled how members of the Jana Sangh, the RSS, and socialist parties were all jailed for seeking the restoration of democracy. 'The world has witnessed the birth of democracy on this soil. India is the mother of democracy...I am sure that none of the citizens alive at that time would have liked this (Emergency), except the dictator and a small group of people who took advantage of it,' he said. He also recalled how the cabinet had not been taken into confidence about the decision. 'Ministers (in the cabinet) later confided how the agenda for the cabinet meeting was not even shared with them when Emergency was declared,' he said. He also criticised the then government for making amendments to the Constitution, some of which sought to change the basic structure of the document. 'So many drastic changes were made that it came to be known as a mini-Constitution. From the Preamble to the basic structure, everything was changed. The judiciary became submissive, and democratic rights were suspended. The nation can never forget this, and we decided to celebrate this as Samvidan Hatya Divas so that people remember that when democratic governments become dictators, what are the consequences that we have to suffer,' Shah said.
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