"Very important to go through lived reality": Annamalai recalls Congress' atrocities during Emergency
Jun 25, 2024
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 26 : Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Tuesday said that during the emergency period, people suffered a lot adding that it is important to be aware of the history of our country and the Constitution.
"It has been 49 years since the emergency was imposed in our country...People who suffered during the emergency period shared their experiences...It is very important to go through the lived reality so that our country is more stronger," K Annamalai said after attending a programme on Emergency titled 'An Insult to the Constitution' organised here by Citizen for Social Justice, Bengaluru.
"These kinds of programs create awareness among the citizens to keep our country and Constitution safe. If you don't learn from history, you are condemned to repeat it. The price we pay for our liberty is eternal vigilance," he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi, in sharp criticism of the Congress, said that the dark days of the Emergency are a reminder of how the Congress Party trampled over the Constitution of India.
Taking to X, PM Modi posted, "Today is a day to pay homage to all those great men and women who resisted the emergency. The Dark Days of Emergency remind us of how the Congress Party subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution of India, which every Indian respects greatly."
He further said that just to cling on to power, the then Congress government disregarded every democratic principle.
"Just to cling on to power, the then Congress government disregarded every democratic principle and made the nation into a jail. Any person who disagreed with Congress was tortured and harassed. Socially regressive policies were unleashed to target the weakest sections," the prime minister wrote.
The Emergency, which is considered to be one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history, was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from June 25, 1975, to 1977.
There were political arrests, mass forced sterilisation and beautification drives, among others during the period.
All key opposition leaders at the time, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, and Jay Prakash Narayanan, among others, were either jailed or placed under detention.
