• Source:JND
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tore into the Congress Party on the 50th year of the Emergency, which was imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975. Calling it one of the darkest chapters of India’s history, PM Modi said the Congress placed democracy under ‘arrest’ by unleashing the emergency.

“Today marks fifty years since one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency. The people of India mark this day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was extinguished and several political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens were jailed. It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest,” PM Modi posted on X.

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PM Modi congratulated people who fought against the Emergency, asserting that their joint efforts compelled the Congress to restore democracy and call for fresh polls.

“We salute every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency! These were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India’s democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives. It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost,” he said.

Recalling his experience, PM Modi said he was an RSS Pracharak when the Emergency was imposed in India. He also hailed BlueKraft Digital Foundation, which released a book compiling anecdotes of PM Modi’s role in fighting against the Emergency.

“When the Emergency was imposed, I was a young RSS Pracharak. The anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me. It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement,” PM Modi said.

He also urged people and families who suffered during the Emergency to share their experiences on social media.

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“‘The Emergency Diaries’ chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time.I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977,” he added.