The fight against the Emergency has kept Indian democracy alive, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, stressing that the memories of the dark days imposed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s “Kitchen Cabinet” should never be allowed to fade away.
Addressing the “Aapatkaal Ke 50 Saal” programme, Shah said, “It has been 50 years in the documents, but even today, the wound in the hearts of crores of Indians inflicted by the tyranny of the Congress remains as fresh as it was during the Emergency.”
Shah said that during the Emergency, the entire country was turned into a prison. Everyone was thrown into jail, and no one was given a chance to be heard. The judiciary, executive, legislature, media, and artists were all enraged but unable to react, he added.
Leaders like George Fernandes and Acharya Kripalani were jailed without any explanation, he added.
“Some people question the benefits of remembering an incident that took place 50 years ago, but I insist that this exercise is a powerful means to guard against the return of such dark days,” he said.
“An event that shook the foundation of a democratic nation and represented a dictatorial mindset must be remembered to prevent its supporters from rearing their heads again,” Shah added.
“It took 21 months for democracy to return after the imposition of the Emergency. Therefore, I call the night of June 24, 1975, the longest night ever in the country as it ended with the lifting of the Emergency,” Shah said.
The Constitution—which guaranteed citizens civil liberties, laid down judicial practices, and took over two years to draft with 1,100 hours of debate—was dismissed by the “Kitchen Cabinet’s declaration” in one minute, he added.
“A democratic nation’s multi-party system was sacrificed on the altar of a dictator’s ego. Imagine being turned into a dictator’s slave from a citizen overnight. Imagine a media person being branded anti-national overnight. Imagine a student — the future of the nation — being treated as a threat to the establishment”.
“Even social workers were jailed for being a threat to the nation,” he added, noting that 1.1 lakh people were jailed.
—IANS
