The seventh seminar of the Khariar Mukta Vichar Mancha (KMVM) was held at Khariar on Saturday with the topic of discussion being “Revisiting Emergency”. Educationist Dr Fanindam Deo spoke against the Emergency while senior advocate Prasanna Mahapatra spoke in favour of that eventful period.
“There was no ill motive behind the declaration of Emergency. It was the need of that time. But the way it was implemented, it created sufferings for the people,” said Mahapatra and added that the situation the country is facing now is worse than that period. “We are now undergoing a situation of undeclared Emergency,” he stated.
Dr Deo elaborated how the Emergency declared in 1971 during the war against Pakistan was continued and strengthened in 1975. “Bank nationalisation, win in Pakistan war made the leadership of that time egoistic. The deteriorating economic condition of the country and various other factors, on the other hand made her Indira Gandhi insecure; and thus, the Emergency was declared. She took the opportunity to subvert the democracy through a Constitutional amendment.
Civil rights were withdrawn for the first time. Most High Courts viewed this as unconstitutional. When it came to the apex court, the decision was validated by a majority of judges. The only judge who opposed this extra-constitutional decision was not given promotion,” said Dr Deo.
"What we learnt from the Emergency experience is that an egoistic leadership, supported by a caucus of sycophant politicians and bureaucracy, a loyal judiciary and a censored Press are always dangerous for a democracy," concluded Dr Deo.
The seminar was presided over by KMVM convenor Shrikant Chatterjee and attended by hundreds of people including Asutosh Panda, Manoj Tiwari, Bajrang Agrawal, Satish Pattnaik and Mahendra Jagat.