‘Dressed as a sadhu, a Sardar, a hippie…': Shah on Modi's 19 months underground during Emergency

The Print

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Shah said the book also captures the role of the RSS, the Jan Sangh, and the difficulties faced during Satyagraha and public mobilisation during that period.
Speaking at the launch of The Emergency Diaries–Years that Forged a Leader, Shah said: 'This book contains the full story… of how Narendra Modi, at the age of 24–25, led the struggle in Gujarat. He went underground for 19 months during Emergency, which was imposed under Indira Gandhi's dictatorship. He helped MISA detainees, distributed underground newspapers at markets, intersections, among students and women.'
New Delhi: He dressed as a sadhu, a Sardar, a hippie, an incense stick seller, even a newspaper vendor to stay underground. That's how Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday described Narendra Modi's time during Emergency, saying the current Prime Minister, then a 25-year-old RSS pracharak, spent 19 months underground helping detainees and distributing banned publications.
'Along with this, the book describes the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Jan Sangh, the struggle of the Lok Sangharsh Samiti, the challenges of Satyagraha and public awakening. Narendra Modiji, during that time, while underground, worked as a sadhu, sometimes a Sardar, sometimes a hippie, sometimes an agarbatti seller, or a newspaper delivery vendor—he played all these roles,' he said.
He added: 'And today, see how destiny delivers justice. The same young man who, at the age of 25, opposed the dictatorial mindset of Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi—going door to door, village to village, city to city—is today the person who, in 2014, uprooted the very dynastic politics for which Emergency was imposed.'
Shah appealed to youth to read the book: 'I especially appeal to the youth of this country—read this book at least once. A young man of your own age, in his early years, resisted dictatorship. That same young man is today's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is strengthening the roots of democracy in this country.'
The book, divided into five chapters, explores censorship of the press during the Emergency, the government's use of state power, the resistance put up by the RSS and Jan Sangh, personal stories of those imprisoned or targeted, and the larger democratic transition from authoritarianism to mass participation.
Modi's own experience as a young underground organiser is presented as a key thread through this narrative.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi had decided 25 June should be commemorated as Constitution Betrayal Day, calling the Emergency 'an attack on the nation's soul'.
The BJP marks this day each year as a black chapter in India's democratic history. Shah said the phrase 'Constitution Betrayal' was debated internally as it seemed harsh, but they concluded that nothing less could describe how censorship, mass arrests, and suppression unfolded in 1975.
The Union Minister recounted the series of events leading up to the Emergency, including the Allahabad High Court verdict invalidating Indira Gandhi's election and the Congress loss in Gujarat, saying these political shocks prompted the clampdown. He argued that the JP movement gave voice to rising discontent and turned slogans like 'Indira is India' into 'Indira against India'.
Listing the Emergency's excesses, Shah said censorship extended to artists and institutions. 'To the youth sitting here, I want to ask—have you ever listened to a duet song? In it, both the male and female voices—can they be of the same singer? That's what happened during Emergency. Kishore Kumar's voice was banned. Manoj Kumar's films were banned. Dev Anand was barred from Doordarshan. The film Aandhi and Kissa Kursi Ka were also banned. Friends, after murdering the Constitution, the Indian Constitution was silenced.'
He also highlighted judicial interference, where judges critical of the government were sidelined, and three senior judges were superseded.
He referred to the Shah Commission's findings, saying they documented how forced sterilisation, mass detentions, and demolitions created a climate of fear 'with no parallel in the world'.
Shah contrasted that period with what he called the current ethos of governance under Modi. He said while Emergency-era politics placed individual and dynastic interests above the nation, the Modi era had ushered in a mindset of 'India First'. He said India was now on a path to becoming a global leader by 2047—a transformation rooted in the sacrifices made by those who resisted Emergency rule.
Calling for collective memory and vigilance, he urged that India's youth be educated about the Emergency so that such a chapter is never repeated.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Emergency showed extent of executive power. 50 years on, it's still embedded in Constitution