Paying tributes to those who fought for protection of democracy during Emergency era in 1975, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday described the policies of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Government as cruel, dictatorial and insensitive.
The Chief Minister stated that the Emergency that began on June 25 lasted for 21 months, during which lakhs of people were imprisoned without cause. “There was no appeal, no argument and no hearing - it was the darkest chapter in the history of Indian democracy,” she said.
Rekha Gupta made these observations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Emergency. Delhi Government commemorated the day as “Constitution Betrayal Day” by organising a special exhibition at Central Park, Connaught Place. The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Rekha Gupta, in the presence of Minister of Art and Culture Kapil Mishra.
The exhibition, organised with the support of the Delhi Government’s Archives Department, presents to the public rare photographs, official documents, detention orders and press clippings related to the Emergency period.
The Chief Minister paid tributes to all the warriors who fought for the protection of democracy, saying that just as freedom fighters liberated the country from British rule, the defenders of democracy risked their lives to keep it alive during the Emergency.
She further remarked that today, Congress leaders walk around with copies of the Constitution in their pockets, even though it was they who disrespected and violated it. Remembering the pain and struggle of those arrested during the Emergency, she mentioned leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Madan Lal Khurana and Balraj Madhok. The Chief Minister assured that dark days like those of the Emergency will never return and the people of India will not tolerate any such authoritarian move.
She praised the democratic policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government, stating that both the Central and Delhi Governments today uphold the dignity of the Constitution and democracy. She announced a year-long series of programs to honour the defenders of democracy from 1975 and hailed them as the true sons of Mother India.
On this occasion, Kapil Mishra said the documents on display clearly show how democracy was murdered during the Emergency. Overnight, the entire opposition was arrested, the judiciary was crippled, journalists were jailed, and locks were placed on media institutions. Even the arrest orders for leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Balraj Madhok, Kedarnath Sahni and Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia were not made public.
He added that what sets this exhibition at Delhi’s Central Park apart is that it displays documents that have never before been shown to the public. “India can never forget how democracy was crushed during the Emergency. This exhibition is not just an attempt to preserve history, but also a reminder to the nation of the hardships and sacrifices through which democracy was saved.”
The BJP has organised various programmes to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency that saw the incarceration of a large number of opposition leaders and the suspension of civil liberties for 21 months.