New Delhi: On the 43rd anniversary of the Emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described it ‘as a dark period’.
Modi, who will be in Mumbai today to express gratitude towards those who fought against the Emergency in 1975, salutes the courage of those who steadfastly resisted the Emergency.
“I salute the courage of all those great women and men who steadfastly resisted the Emergency, which was imposed 43 years ago. Their struggles ensured people power prevailed over authoritarianism and the stifling of civil liberties,” he said on Twitter.
“India remembers the Emergency as a dark period during which every institution was subverted and an atmosphere of fear was created. Not only people but also ideas and artistic freedom were held hostage to power politics,” he said.
He further tweeted,” Let us always work to make our democratic ethos stronger. Writing, debating, deliberating, questioning are vital aspects of our democracy which we are proud of. No force can ever trample the basic tenets of our Constitution.”
The imposition of the Emergency had evoked a nationwide outrage and triggered a mass movement which forced Gandhi to lift it in 1977.
Yesterday, Union Minister Arun Jaitley compared Indira Gandhi to Hitler, saying that both turned democracy into dictatorship.
