BENGALURU: The mindset that led to imposition of the Emergency in 1975 is still alive in the Congress party, said BJP Central Parliamentary Board member BS Yediyurappa. “The person (Indira Gandhi) may have passed away, but the mindset of the party (Congress) has not changed even today... We should not forget the dark days of Emergency,” he said.
Yediyurappa was speaking at an event titled ‘50 Years of 1975 Emergency - Dark Days’, organised by Citizens for Social Justice, Bengaluru, in the city on Tuesday. Yediyurappa said the sacred Constitution was sacrificed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to continue in power. “Judiciary, executive and the legislature were all held in her tight clutches just for the purpose of continuing in power,” he said.
He said the fundamental rights of citizens were taken away, freedom of the press was muzzled, and judiciary robbed of its autonomy during the Emergency. He added that her dictatorial rule aimed solely at retaining power still evokes outrage.
Slamming Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, noted columnist and economic thinker S Gurumurthy in his keynote address said, “Rahul Gandhi was waving the Constitution of India, when PM Narendra Modi took oath in 2024, claiming to be its protector. But it was his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) who destroyed the Constitution, which was revived by the Janata Party, with support from RSS.”
He questioned the Congress if it had any moral right to talk about the Constitution, rights and freedom. Gurumurthy said Indira did not become a dictator in a day, and that it began in 1969, when she split the Congress party. A photo exhibition showcasing the role of RSS workers and from various parties was held. A prison replica with an iron gate was put up in front of Town Hall, to reflect the dark days of Emergency.