Modi slams Congress, says Emergency was one of India's darkest periods

On the 40th anniversary of Emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the Indira Gandhi government, saying that the nation was bound with chains and turned into a jail then due to ‘lust for power’.

A day after Union Cabinet chaired by him decided to set up a national memorial for socialist icon Jai Prakash Narayan in his birthplace in Bihar, the prime minister said that the memorial will always be an inspiration to democracy-loving citizens of the country.

"Nobody can forget June 25-26 in the history of India. Forty years ago, the country was bound with chains of Emergency and turned into a jail for the lust for power.

"Lakhs of patriots nursing the dream of 'Sampoorna Kranti' under the leadership of JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) were jailed. Newspaper offices were locked and the radio aired only what the government then wanted," Modi said without naming then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The prime minister recalled that lakhs of people had resisted the Emergency declared by Indira. "We are very proud of the lakhs of people, who resisted the Emergency and whose efforts ensured that our democratic fabric is preserved," he said.

He was speaking at the launch of Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and Housing for All Mission in New Delhi.

Holding that people have gathered today to take a vow to move forward together, the prime minister said, "We want to persevere those dreams so that every citizen prospers under that democratic system."

Expressing happiness over the Cabinet's decision to set up a memorial for JP, he said that the memorial will always be an inspiration and guiding light for democracy lovers and citizens of this country.

"A vibrant liberal democracy is the key to progress. Let us do everything possible to further strengthen our democratic ideals and ethos," he said.

"Emergency was a great opportunity to work with a wide spectrum of leaders and organisations fighting for the same goal- return of democracy," he said.

He said that the government wants to constantly try and find out how can the schemes of development be carried out with the cooperation and participation of people.

Inaugurating a two-day conference, he reached out to the ‘urban India’ as he announced the government's plans for a better city life. Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah is expected to speak on the issue of Emergency in the evening in a programme in New Delhi.

On the eve of 40th anniversary of imposition of Emergency, the government had on Wednesday up a national memorial for JP in his birthplace in Bihar where asembly polls are likely this September-October.

Announcing a number of decisions of the government to honour JP, who had spearheaded the fight against Emergency imposed by Indira in 1975, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had on Wednesday recalled how democratic institutions were ‘muzzled’ during Emergency as he lauded the contribution of the socialist leader in uniting the country against the ‘black chapter’ of Indian history.

Expressing joy over the Cabinet's decision to set up the memorial, he said it will always be an inspiration and guiding light for democracy lovers and citizens of this country. 

Photograph: ANI