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PM Plays Anti-Emergency Remarks in Mann Ki Baat

New Delhi: Playing on the remarks of iconic anti-Emergency politicians in his monthly radio broadcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed the then Congress government for atrocities on people and said those who fought Emergency should always be remembered "to keep our Constitution strong and enduring". Speaking in his monthly radio broadcast "Mann ki Baat", Mr Modi said that those who imposed the Emergency not only "murdered" the Constitution but also made the judiciary their "puppet". Without naming the Congress or the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he condemned the Emergency-era excesses. The assertions come in the backdrop of an ongoing bitter war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties, which have claimed that an "undeclared emergency" prevails under the Modi government. Condemning the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 by the then PM Indira Gandhi, Mr Modi noted that with the power of public participation, big crises can be confronted. "I will play an audio for you... In this audio you will get an idea of the magnitude of that crisis. How grave that crisis was," he said. In the first audio clip played, Morarji Desai, who became the Prime Minister after the Emergency, said the "oppression" of the Indira Gandhi regime was going on for several years but reached its peak in the last two years after the Emergency was imposed. "People's right to freedom was snatched away. Newspapers were left without freedom. Courts were made completely powerless. And the way more than one lakh people were put in jail and then arbitrary rule continued, it is difficult to find its traces in the history of the world," Mr Desai had said. Referring to the audio clip, Mr Modi said, "Former Prime Minister Morarji Bhai Desai spoke about the Emergency in a brief but very clear manner. You can imagine what that period was like! Those who imposed the emergency not only murdered our Constitution but also had the intention to keep the judiciary as their slave." The Prime Minister stated that during this period, people were tormented on a large scale and there are many such examples of this, which can never be forgotten. George Fernandez Sahib was tied in chains. "Many people were subjected to severe torture. Under MISA, anyone could be summarily arrested. Students too were harassed. Freedom of expression was also stifled. Thousands of people who were arrested during that period were subjected to such inhumane atrocities. But it is the strength of the people of India that they did not bow down, did not break down and did not accept any compromise with democracy," Mr Modi said. In another audio clip played, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said, "Whatever happened in the country cannot be called just an election. A peaceful revolution has taken place. The wave of people's power has thrown the killers of democracy into the dustbin of history." "Just a few days ago, the imposition of the Emergency on the country completed its 50 years. We countrymen have observed the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. We should always remember all those people who fought the Emergency with fortitude. This inspires us to remain constantly vigilant to keep our Constitution strong and enduring," the Prime Minister said. An audio clip of former deputy PM Jagjivan Ram related to the period was also played. In his monthly radio broadcast, the Prime Minister said Modi an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report which stated that more than 64 per cent of India's population is now availing some social protection benefit or the other. "Presently, most of the populace in India is taking advantage of one social protection benefit or the other. It has been mentioned in this report that more than 64 per cent of the population of India are now definitely availing themselves of some social protection benefit or the other," Mr Modi said. "Today, around 95-crore people in the country are getting the benefit of some or other social security schemes. Whereas, till 2015, the government schemes were reaching less than 25 crore people," the PM said. Mr Modi noted that in India, from health to social security, the country is moving ahead with the feeling of saturation in every field. "This is also a great picture of social justice. These successes have instilled a belief that the coming times will be even better. India will become even stronger at every step," he said. The Prime Minister also shared that the WHO has declared India trachoma-free. "India now has become a trachoma-free country. This is the result of the hard work of lakhs of people who fought this disease tirelessly, without a break. This success belongs to our health workers," he said, adding that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan also helped in eradicating it and the Jal Jeevan Mission also contributed a lot to this success.

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