A mirror of the present, say Opposition leaders as India marks 50 years since Emergency

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) As India observes 50 years since the declaration of the Emergency, key Opposition leaders from the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP, alleging that the authoritarianism of the present government mirrors that in 1975.

RJD MP Manoj Jha called June 25, 1975 a “dark chapter” in India’s democratic journey, but cautioned against reducing it to a historical footnote. “This day should be a mirror, not a memory,” Jha told IANS.

“I’ve written today itself, if Ramnath Goenka were alive, he’d ask media houses not to turn this into a symbolic day. We must ask – what is the current situation? People are jailed for speaking up. Criticism of one individual is seen as criticism of the country.”

Jha argued that authoritarianism now thrives under the guise of democracy.

“There’s barely any difference between the dictatorship of that era and what we are witnessing today. Whenever you criticise someone else’s past, hold up a mirror to your present,” he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ayodhya Poul Patil said that while the Emergency of 1975 was declared officially, the present day reflects an “undeclared Emergency” in action.

“Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had at least declared it. Today, over the past 11 years, we’ve seen a silent, creeping Emergency. People are picked up arbitrarily, central agencies like the CBI, ED are unleashed without reason, and even small financial transfers of Rs 10 or Rs 100 are under scrutiny. This is no less than an undeclared Emergency," she told IANS.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar criticised the BJP for “celebrating” the day while allegedly trampling the very Constitution they claim to uphold.

Speaking to IANS, Wadettiwar said, “The way BJP is observing this day, not as a day of reflection, but as a moment to divert attention from how they are killing the Constitution meant for future generations. They are the same people who never participated in the freedom struggle, who sided with the British, and who opposed Babasaheb Ambedkar while framing the Constitution.”

He added that the BJP’s ideological ancestors attempted to bring in the Manusmriti instead of the Constitution, and sought to deny voting rights to women and the poor.

“Those who never believed in the Constitution, who talk of changing it openly, and who undermine it daily, are today speaking of protecting it. How ironic is that?” he told.

The Emergency, imposed on the night of June 25, 1975, came just days after the Allahabad High Court invalidated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s 1971 Lok Sabha election, prompting massive protests led by Jayaprakash Narayan.

The next morning, senior Opposition leaders including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, and Devi Lal were arrested under the draconian Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).

In a sweeping crackdown, not just Opposition figures but even internal critics from within the Congress, like Chandra Shekhar and Krishan Kant, were jailed. Civil liberties were suspended, Press freedom was crushed, and thousands of ordinary citizens were imprisoned, their lives thrown into turmoil.