NEW DELHI: Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has said that the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 was a mistake, a sentiment acknowledged by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This statement came after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government announced that it would celebrate June 25 as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, leading to political debates and backlash.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, P Chidambaram said, “Why doesn’t the BJP go back to the 18th or 17th century? 75 per cent of Indians alive today were born after 1975. The emergency was a mistake and was accepted by Indira Gandhi. We have amended the Constitution so that emergency cannot be imposed so easily.”
He further questioned the relevance of debating the events of 50 years ago, stressing on the lessons learnt from past mistakes. “What is the point of debating the rights and wrongs of the Emergency 50 years later? The BJP must forget the past. We have learnt the lessons of the past,” he said.
The NDA-led central government had earlier this month announced that it would celebrate ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark the anniversary of the state of emergency, triggering a backlash from opposition parties. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge voiced his criticism on ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “For the last 10 years, your government has celebrated ‘Constitution Murder Day’ every day. You have snatched away the self-respect of every poor and underprivileged section of the country at every turn.”
Responding to the Centre’s announcement, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from its policies. “It has been criticised. Indira Gandhi lost once and came back to power as Prime Minister. So that chapter was just a page of history and years later, the BJP is trying to divert attention from its anti-people politics, disasters and the poor state of the country, they are trying to play this old card,” Ghosh said at a press conference.
The 1975 state of emergency remains a significant period in Indian history, characterised by political turmoil and the erosion of civil liberties. Declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the state of emergency involved the suspension of fundamental rights and strict censorship aimed at silencing political dissent and maintaining order.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, P Chidambaram said, “Why doesn’t the BJP go back to the 18th or 17th century? 75 per cent of Indians alive today were born after 1975. The emergency was a mistake and was accepted by Indira Gandhi. We have amended the Constitution so that emergency cannot be imposed so easily.”
He further questioned the relevance of debating the events of 50 years ago, stressing on the lessons learnt from past mistakes. “What is the point of debating the rights and wrongs of the Emergency 50 years later? The BJP must forget the past. We have learnt the lessons of the past,” he said.
The NDA-led central government had earlier this month announced that it would celebrate ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ to mark the anniversary of the state of emergency, triggering a backlash from opposition parties. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge voiced his criticism on ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “For the last 10 years, your government has celebrated ‘Constitution Murder Day’ every day. You have snatched away the self-respect of every poor and underprivileged section of the country at every turn.”
Responding to the Centre’s announcement, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of trying to divert attention from its policies. “It has been criticised. Indira Gandhi lost once and came back to power as Prime Minister. So that chapter was just a page of history and years later, the BJP is trying to divert attention from its anti-people politics, disasters and the poor state of the country, they are trying to play this old card,” Ghosh said at a press conference.
The 1975 state of emergency remains a significant period in Indian history, characterised by political turmoil and the erosion of civil liberties. Declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the state of emergency involved the suspension of fundamental rights and strict censorship aimed at silencing political dissent and maintaining order.
