- By Radha Basnet
- Sat, 29 Jun 2024 04:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lalu Prasad Yadav, the chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Bihar Chief Minister, has recalled the dark days of the Emergency and said then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi put many leaders behind bars, but she never abused them. In a post on X, the RJD chief shared an article titled "The Sangh Silence in 1975," written by him and journalist Nalin Verma. The article criticises the BJP-led central government, stating that although 1975 is a stain on the country's democracy, let's not forget who doesn't respect the Opposition in 2024.
"Indira Gandhi put many of us behind bars, but she never abused us. Neither she nor her ministers called us "anti-national" or "unpatriotic". She never enabled vandals to defile the memory of Babasaheb Ambedkar--the architect of our Constitution. 1975 is a stain on our democracy but let's not forget who doesn't respect the Opposition in 2024," the RJD leader wrote on X.
The remarks by Yadav come in the context of the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, which is considered one of the most controversial periods in India's political history. President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday criticised the imposition of the Emergency. "Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the Emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers", she said.
In response, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to gain "cheap applause" by making the President deliver a speech "filled with lies." "Modi is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections," Kharge wrote on his official 'X' account.
(With ANI Inputs)
