BJP to felicitate Emergency-era detainees from city on 50th anniversary
Nagpur: As the 50th anniversary of the Emergency approaches, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to mark the occasion by honouring those who were jailed or actively participated in the anti-Emergency resistance in Nagpur during the 1975-77 period.
City BJP president Dayashankar Tiwari and former MLC Girish Vyas announced that the party will felicitate over 450 Satyagrahis, including women and youth activists from Nagpur, who were jailed under the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and Defence of India Rules (DIR).
The event, titled, 'Loktantra Senani Swagat-Vandan-Abhinandan Samaroh', is scheduled to be held at Vanamati Auditorium on June 25 at 5pm.
Senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe will be the chief guest. According to Vyas, Sahasrabuddhe will also visit the homes of several MISA detainees' families as part of the outreach programme.
"The Emergency was the darkest chapter in Indian democracy. Thousands were jailed without any trial, censorship was imposed, and even music and media were stifled. Yet, people across the country, including here in Nagpur, stood up and resisted," said Vyas, adding, "The BJP wants the current generation to remember and recognise this important struggle."
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Tiwari added that the Emergency was not merely a political event but an assault on constitutional values. "The Emergency crushed democracy and silenced people.
Late prime minister Indira Gandhi's govt arrested Opposition leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Charan Singh, and thousands of grassroots activists to stay in power," he said.
Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the former mayor said, "Those who claim to carry the Constitution in their pocket to safeguard it were the ones who disgraced it by levying the Emergency."
He said many unsung heroes from the city were jailed during the 19-month-long Emergency. "Women, youths, and social activists from the city joined the Satyagraha. Our aim is to honour their contribution and sacrifices," he said.
Referring to the recent efforts, Tiwari said that Maharashtra's cabinet, under CM Devendra Fadnavis, has doubled the monthly pension given to MISA detainees. Additionally, BJP leaders have recommended that the recognition and benefits given to freedom fighters should also be extended to Emergency-era detainees.
The city BJP will also launch a campaign to educate people about the Emergency. A special publication is being brought out that will highlight how constitutional values were subverted under the then-PM Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi's youth brigade.
Articles by prominent leaders, including Union minister Gadkari and CM Fadnavis, will be published in newspapers and distributed in slums and Dalit settlements.
"The attempt to strangle the democratic system failed because people stood up against it. It was the largest movement after Independence. We want to ensure that this chapter is never forgotten," Vyas said.
The BJP also plans to organise tours for students and citizens to the homes of Emergency detainees and publish stories of their resistance. "History must be told truthfully. The sacrifices of those who fought to protect the Constitution must be remembered and celebrated," Tiwari concluded.
Former mayors Anil Sole, Archana Dehankar and ex-corporator Ashwini Jichkar were also present at the press conference.
(Box)
150 youths to participate in debate on Emergency
To create awareness among today's youth about the Emergency and the atrocities committed during that period, BJP city chief Dayashankar Tiwari said the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has organised a 'Model Parliament' debate at the Zilla Niyojan Bhavan on June 25, where 150 city youths will engage in a battle of wits over various aspects and impacts of the Emergency.
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