Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad on Saturday, reminisced about the 1975-77 Emergency. He noted that although then-prime minister Indira Gandhi had imprisoned many leaders, she never abused them.
In a post on X, the RJD chief shared his article, “The Sangh Silence in 1975,” co-written with journalist Nalin Verma.
“I was the convener of the steering committee that Jayaprakash Narayan—had constituted to carry forward the movement against the excesses of Emergency imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi. I was in jail under the Maintenance of Security Act (MISA) for over 15 months,” Lalu Prasad wrote in the post.
I was the convener of the steering committee that Jayaprakash Narayan—had constituted to carry forward the movement against the excesses of Emergency imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi. I was in jail under the Maintenance of Security Act (MISA) for over 15 months. My colleagues… pic.twitter.com/9fyThckm01
— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) June 29, 2024
He added: “My colleagues and I did not know many of the BJP ministers speaking about the Emergency today. We hadn’t heard of Modi, J P Nadda and some of the PM’s other ministerial colleagues who today lecture us on the value of freedom.”
The former Bihar CM also remarked that while Indira Gandhi imprisoned many Opposition leaders of that era, she never mistreated them.
“Indira Gandhi put many of us behind bars, but she never abused us. Neither she nor her ministers called us “anti-national” or “unpatriotic”. She never enabled vandals to defile the memory of Babasaheb Ambedkar—the architect of our Constitution. 1975 is a stain on our democracy, but let’s not forget who doesn’t respect the Opposition in 2024,” he added.
On June 25, 1975, former prime minister Indira Gandhi declared a 21-month state of emergency, which ended on March 21, 1977. In the following general elections, Indira Gandhi was ousted from power, and the Janata Party assumed office. Both Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi lost their seats in Raebareli and Amethi, respectively.
However, the coalition of various parties disintegrated in 1979, and the Congress regained power by winning 353 seats in the subsequent general elections. Indira Gandhi returned as prime minister and held the position until her assassination in 1984.