Cong: Decision to impose Emergency in 1975 constitutional, undeclared Emergency now
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sapkal on Wednesday termed the decision to impose the Emergency in 1975 'constitutional' and targeted the ruling BJP, claiming that there is an 'undeclared Emergency' in the country for the past 11 years.
Sapkal's remarks came on a day which marked 50 years of the Emergency Proclamation, as part of which the BJP held programmes and press conferences across the country targeting the Congress.
The state Congress president questioned whether the stand of former RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras, who supported the Emergency, is now unacceptable to BJP.
'The decision to impose Emergency in 1975 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was constitutional. Certain forces were attempting to create chaos in the country. Later, the Emergency was lifted, elections were held, and democratic processes were restored,' Sapkal said.
'During the Emergency, Indira Gandhi didn't sell the country's assets or hand over public sector enterprises to industrialists. But for the past 11 years, there has been an undeclared Emergency in the country. Airports, ports, mines, banks, and government lands are being sold off to favoured industrialists. Even Dharavi's land has been sold. Today, dictatorship prevails, and the BJP's insatiable hunger for power is threatening democracy,' the Congress leader alleged.
Sapkal questioned how Sengol can replace the national emblem in government advertisements.
'The BJP government has splurged crores on advertisements around the Emergency. In these government ads, the national emblem is missing, replaced by the Sengol. The BJP wants to dismantle democracy and the Constitution and implement Golwalkar's 'Bunch of Thoughts',' alleged Sapkal.
Maharashtra Congress's official publication Janmanasachi Shidori released a special Emergency edition — featuring articles by Indira Gandhi, Pupul Jayakar, senior journalist and former RS MP Kumar Ketkar, Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut, among others — to counter the 'BJP's false narrative' about the Emergency, Sapkal said.
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