Tyrannical oppression of Indira Gandhi’s emergency rule shakes every Indian
Tarun Chugh
India is the world’s largest democracy. It was ironic that the nation had to endure authoritarian oppression for centuries. During Mughal rule, people were persecuted on religious grounds, and during British rule, the public suffered through exploitation. Upon gaining independence, it was hoped that India would be free from the clutches of oppression. However, nearly two decades after independence, from 1975 to 1977, the people had to endure such oppression that reached its peak during the Emergency. It was a dark chapter in the history of the world’s largest democracy. India remained under oppression for 21 months from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977. This was the most undemocratic, unconstitutional, and politically abusive period in independent India’s history. All elections were suspended in the country, and civil rights were revoked. Human rights were trampled upon. Political opponents of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were thrown into jail. Freedom of expression was curtailed, and press freedom was also banned. No newspaper could publish anything without government permission. Four news agencies were merged into one under government control. Nearly four thousand newspapers were confiscated, and 327 journalists arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). Advertisement for about 1,500 newspapers was banned, and seven foreign journalists were expelled from the country. Dozens of foreign journalists were banned from entering India, and several were deported. The Congress Party, which carried out such undemocratic actions, now talks about the constitution and freedom of expression, which seems ironic.
To oppose the government’s undemocratic activities, the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was banned, and its volunteers were tortured by the police. The police had been harsh with the organization. Thousands of its workers were thrown into jail. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers participated in the movement peacefully and democratically against the ban and the violation of fundamental rights.
The Congress government’s tyranny was such that after arresting opposition party leaders and government critics and sending them behind bars, the whole country was stunned. Leaders like Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Jananayak Karpuri Thakur, along with other opposition leaders were arrested. After the announcement of the Emergency, there was a strong opposition in Punjab. Sikh leadership also opposed Congress’ misdeeds. Meetings were organized in Amritsar, where they vowed to oppose the “fascist tendencies” of the Congress. Thus, there was an agitation against the Congress government’s dictatorship in all states of the country. Opposition lawmakers began resigning from the state legislatures.
Since the challenge posed to Indira Gandhi’s victory in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections in the Allahabad High Court, political turmoil had begun in the country. The Allahabad High Court admitted in its decision that Indira Gandhi had misused government machinery and resources. Thus, her election as a Member of Parliament was declared invalid under the Representation of the People Act, banning her from contesting any elections for six years. In such a situation, Indira Gandhi had no choice but to resign from the Prime Minister’s post except for the three weeks given by the court to the Congress Party to make a new Prime Minister. In such an environment, how could anyone else be made Prime Minister? Indira Gandhi did not trust anyone in her own party. She decided to take advantage of the three weeks’ time instead of resigning and challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. The atmosphere was created with slogans like ‘India is Indira, Indira is India’. The opposition to the undemocratic activities of the government was growing across the country. Jayaprakash Narayan’s ‘call for disobedience’ movement against the Emergency was the biggest pretext for declaring an emergency. In this way, Indira Gandhi declared an emergency post agitation of Jayaprakash Narayan. In her message to the nation on the morning of June 26, 1975, Indira Gandhi said that the kind of atmosphere created in the country by a person like Jayaprakash Narayan, it has become necessary to declare an emergency in the country. Along with this, under Article 352 of the then Indian Constitution, an emergency was declared.
With the imposition of emergency, the wave of opposition continued to intensify. Eventually, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dissolved the Lok Sabha and recommended holding elections. The public was shocked by the decision to impose an emergency during the elections. Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who led the opposition to this atrocity, called it the ‘darkest period in Indian history’.
In the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, Indira Gandhi herself lost from her stronghold Rae Bareli. The Janata Party came to power with a huge majority, and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. After 30 years of independence, a non-Congress government was formed at the Centre. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as Foreign Minister, presented India’s image to the world, which people still remember. Atalji explained the importance of India’s language by giving his first speech in Hindi at the United Nations. As Information and Broadcasting Minister, Lal Krishna Advani provided autonomy to government communication media and strengthened democracy.
The emergency imposed in the country is remembered as a dark story in India’s political history.
The situation during the imprisonment of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee is reflected in his poems:
(The author is National General Secretary, BJP).