10 hours ago
BJP holds protests across Haryana on 50 years of Emergency
Gurugram: Marking 50 years since the imposition of Emergency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday organised awareness programmes, protests and meetings across Haryana, accusing the Congress of crushing democracy and trampling the Constitution in its pursuit of power. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised awareness programmes and protests across Haryana marking 50 years of Emergency. (HT PHOTO)
At a gathering held at Maharaja Agrasen Bhawan in Sohna, BJP state general secretary Dr Archana Gupta described the Emergency as one of the darkest chapters in independent India's history, where fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was muzzled and political opponents were jailed.
'Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency on June 25, 1975, murdering the Constitution and democracy. The entire nation knows how Congress crushed the soul of the Constitution for political survival,' Gupta said, warning that even today, the Congress carries forward the same dictatorial tendencies under a democratic façade.
BJP leaders Govind Bhardwaj and Nagendra Sharma shared similar sentiments, accusing Congress of remaining trapped in dynastic politics. 'Whether then or now, real power has remained within the Gandhi family,' Bhardwaj said.
District BJP chief Ajit Yadav said Emergency wasn't just a political crackdown but an attack on human dignity. 'Thousands were jailed, tortured, and organizations like the RSS, Jan Sangh, and ABVP were banned simply to crush dissent,' he added, asserting that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP is committed to strengthening democracy.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Pankaj Dawar hit back, dismissing BJP's state-wide events as a political distraction meant to cover the party's own failures. Dawar accused the BJP of systematically silencing opposition leaders through fabricated cases, intimidating journalists, and turning institutions like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department into political tools.
