New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday launched an all-out attack on the Congress on the anniversary of Emergency, which was declared 47 years ago under Indira Gandhi rule.
Shah said, “On this day in 1975, Congress snatched every India’s constitutional right to power and imposed emergency. In the matter of cruelty, the Congress rule even left behind the foreign rule. I pay homage to the patriots who have sacrificed everything to restore democracy and defeat the dictatorial mindset.
At the midnight of June 25, 1975, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution. Emergency was imposed after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi faced massive protests for her resignation after the Allahabad High Court declared her victory in the 1971 Lok Sabha election invalid.
The Indira Gandhi government cited threats to national security over the recently concluded war with Pakistan. Emergency is considered a dark period in the history of independent India. This period was marked by reports of censorship, frequent human rights violations, and state imprisonment.
After 18 months the Emergency was lifted and fresh elections were held in 1977. The Congress fell out of power for the first time since 1947, with Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi losing from Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively.
Last year, Amit Shah had described the Emergency as a period of ‘brutal torture’ and ’21 months of brutal rule’.
He had said, “Emergency imposed to suppress voice against one family is a dark chapter in the history of independent India. Salute to the sacrifices of all the countrymen who fought tirelessly to protect the Constitution and democracy of the country while facing the brutal tortures of ruthless rule for 21 months.
first published:June 25, 2022, 9:50 a.m.
