Never forgive, never forget: PM Modi on emergency’s 51st anniversary

Marking the 51st anniversary of the Emergency imposed in 1975, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as the "darkest chapter" in Indian democracy. He criticised the Congress for curbing civil liberties, suppressing dissent and press freedom, while paying tribute to those who resisted the Emergency and defended democratic values

New Delhi: On the 51st Anniversary of the Emergency, imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government in 1975, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called its imposition a “grave sin” and “darkest chapter in the history of Indian democracy”. Targeting Congress, he asked citizens to “never forgive nor forget” those who imposed it.

In a post on Instagram titled ’51st Anniversary of the Emergency – know why it remains the darkest chapter in the history of Indian democracy’, PM Modi highlighted how the period “oppressed” the rights of citizens and the media.

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He said: “All opposition leaders were arrested. Any form of political dissent was severely crushed. Thinkers, writers, journalists, social workers, students and ordinary citizens were jailed and tortured. The Constitution was trampled upon; nefarious attempts to bring the judiciary under political control were made.”

“Media was curtailed. Those who refused to follow the diktat were shut down or intimidated into silence. Fundamental rights were suspended,” he added.

The Prime Minister remarked that during the Emergency period, Parliament was reduced to a “rubber stamp”. “Every institution that was meant to protect the citizens was turned against them,” he firmly stated.

PM Modi also drew attention to those who fought against the draconian laws of the Emergency by keeping the “flame of resistance alive at great personal cost”.

He said: “People from every background and across every ideology came together to protect democracy and the constitutional values.”

“I too had the honour of being a part of the anti-Emergency movement,” the Prime Minister mentioned.

Further, he underlined that the mass movement to resist the Emergency forced the then Congress government to “bow before the spirit of Jan Shakti”. “The Emergency was lifted. Elections were called. Those who had imposed it lost badly,” he added.

Criticising the Congress, PM Modi said: “The grave sin of the Emergency sits permanently on the forehead of those who imposed it.” “Today, we salute every person who stood firm, the democracy survived because of them,” he added. Addressing the citizens, he said, “Never Forgive. Never Forget.”