Shashi Tharoor writes of Emergency's ‘unspeakable cruelty', ‘deep and lasting impact on lives'

Indian Express

2 days ago

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has yet again put himself at odds with his party, penning an article slamming former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for imposing the Emergency. Fifty years later, Tharoor has written, the country is 'more prosperous' and has 'a robust democracy'.
The article, titled 'Heeding the Lessons of India's Emergency', was first published on the website Project Syndicate, and reproduced in the Church-backed Malayalam daily Deepika on Thursday.
Talking of 'unspeakable cruelty' in the name of 'discipline and order', Tharoor says this was exemplified 'by the forced vasectomy campaigns led by Gandhi's son, Sanjay, and concentrated in poorer and rural areas, where coercion and violence were used to meet arbitrary targets. Slum demolitions, carried out with ruthless efficiency in urban centers like New Delhi, rendered thousands homeless, with little to no concern for their welfare.''
Noting that Mrs Gandhi argued that the Emergency was 'necessary' to 'combat internal disorder and external threats, and bring discipline and efficiency to a chaotic country', Tharoor says: 'The period's excesses caused deep and lasting harm to countless lives, leaving a legacy of trauma and mistrust in affected communities – which they demonstrated by overwhelmingly voting Gandhi and her party out of power in the first free elections after the Emergency was lifted in March 1977.'
Tharoor goes on to compare the India of today compared to that in 1975. 'We are a more confident, more prosperous, and, in many ways, a more robust democracy. Yet, the lessons of the Emergency remain alarmingly relevant. The temptation to centralise power, to silence critics, and to bypass Constitutional safeguards can emerge in many forms, often cloaked in the rhetoric of national interest or stability. In this sense, the Emergency should serve as a potent warning: democratic stalwarts must be eternally vigilant.'
Tharoor's latest remarks follow his open disagreement with the Congress over the stand the party took on all-party delegations sent by the Centre to different countries to explain India's stand on terror, after Operation Sindoor. Tharoor headed one of the delegations. In an article he later wrote in The Hindu, the MP had said the intensive period of public diplomacy affirmed that India, when united, can project its voice with clarity and conviction on international platforms.
Tharoor further embarrassed the party in Kerala when he acknowledged 'differences of opinion' with the party leadership during the recent Nilambur bypoll.
With Tharoor's remarks adding to the impression of a divided Congress Kerala unit, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said while he had seen Tharoor's article, he did not wish to comment on it.
Former state Congress chief K Muraleedharan was more upfront. 'Let him (Tharoor) decide which party he belongs to. Our aim is to win next year's elections. Discussions on the Emergency at this stage are irrelevant,' Muraleedharan said, while pointing out that in Kerala, the Congress had won by a landslide even in the post-Emergency 1977 elections.
Tharoor's latest remarks incidentally coincide with a survey report claiming he was the most preferred chief ministerial candidate for next year's Assembly elections. Tharoor shared the report on his X handle. A four-term MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor has already made it clear that he is interested in state politics, which has contributed to the disquiet in the state unit.
Reacting to this, United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor Adoor Prakash said: 'Certain people made deliberate attempts to conduct surveys.' Muraleedharan said the UDF will decide who the new CM would be.
Congress leader from Kerala and AICC Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala claimed the BJP was behind the survey.