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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
50 years of Emergency: EAM Jaishankar blames 1974 deal for fishermen arrests by Sri Lanka; says consequences still visible in Tamil Nadu
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the root of the ongoing issue of Sri Lanka arresting Indian fishermen lies in a controversial agreement made during the Emergency era, under which India gave up certain fishing rights. Speaking at an event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) to mark the 50th anniversary of Emergency, Jaishankar said such a deal would not have gone through if Parliament had been functioning properly at the time. 'We hear about our fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka. The reason is that an agreement was entered into during Emergency under which the rights of the fishermen for fishing in some sea waters of Sri Lanka was abandoned,' Jaishankar said. The 1974 maritime agreement, signed under then the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government, ceded the uninhabited Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. A follow-up agreement in 1976 barred Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen from entering each other's exclusive economic zones—restrictions that continue to affect fishing communities in Tamil Nadu. 'The consequences of this decision are still visible in Tamil Nadu,' the EAM noted. Criticising the Congress for bypassing democratic processes during the Emergency, Jaishankar said, 'Had a genuine Parliament functioned at the time, there would have been a debate and this decision would not be accepted.' He said many major decisions were taken without public or parliamentary scrutiny during that 21-month period, which began on June 25, 1975. Reflecting on the time, Jaishankar recalled police raids in Jawaharlal Nehru University hostels and shared how his family had links with anti-Emergency leaders such as George Fernandes. 'I heard from my seniors in the foreign service how difficult it was to defend India after the murder of the Constitution and democracy by the imposition of Emergency,' he said. In a pointed attack on the Congress leadership, Jaishankar said that an Emergency situation arises when the 'family' is kept ahead of the country. 'Some people keep the copy of Constitution in their pockets but have other intentions in their hearts,' PTI cited the external minister. Without naming Rahul Gandhi directly, he questioned the party's refusal to apologise for the Emergency, saying it was not just a political mistake but an assault on the people's way of life. The younger generation must learn how the Congress strangled the Constitution out of greed for power, he said, referring to the mock parliament conducted by the BJYM. He further added that empowering citizens is the key to preventing any similar situation in future. He also took a swipe at the opposition's repeated claims of an 'undeclared Emergency' under the current government. 'I want to clarify that this is not the time of an Emergency nor will there be one in the future. That is why we are all present here at this mock parliament today,' he said. During the Emergency, Jaishankar pointed out, five Constitutional amendments and 48 Ordinances were passed, one of which prevented Emergency provisions from being challenged in any court. Calling India's peaceful resistance during that time proof that 'democracy is in our DNA,' he said the public's rejection of Emergency through the ballot box eventually led to fresh elections and the restoration of democratic rule. He also touched on moments of unity, saying Operation Sindoor, where even opposition leaders joined efforts to bolster India's global position, reflected 'deep national pride' and stood as an antidote to the authoritarianism of the Emergency. "The events of 50 years ago should not just be viewed as history — they still live on in the minds of many. Therefore, we must remain cautious of those who still have no regret about the Emergency," he said.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
S Jaishankar's 'Kissa Kursi Ka' jibe at Congress over Emergency
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday referenced the Raj Babbar-Shabana Azmi starring 'Kissa Kursi Ka' in taking a jibe at the Congress on 'Emergency' from 1975 to 1977 during Indira Gandhi's regime. "All this happened because of one family," the 70-year-old minister said, on 50 years of the imposition of 'Emergency'."There's a movie titled 'Kissa Kursi Ka', and these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like 'Emergency' take place," Jaishankar said in his address at the inaugural session of a mock parliament organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). advertisementRecalling the 21-month period, when he was a 20-year-old student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jaishankar said the entire exercise was to "break the morale of the country and the society". The minister added that people who were not even in politics were impacted by the decision, while those involved with politics were aware that they would inevitably get arrested. "This entire exercise, in a way, was to break the morale of the country and society... Many people, who were not even in politics, were impacted. Those who were in politics were well aware that doing politics meant an inevitable arrest, and those who were arrested were unaware if and when they would be released", Jaishankar told the movie 'Kissa Kursi Ka' was banned from being released during the 'Emergency'. It is a political satire made in 1975 by Amrit Nahata, and focused on Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. It was released after Indira Gandhi's government was ousted."After winning the elections in 1971, within a few years, the popularity of the government had drastically dropped. Corruption had increased, inflation was very high, and the tide was not in their favour. People were angry. Agitations were going on in Gujarat and Bihar... People were raising questions on the business of the then 'yuvraj'. Based on the verdict of the Allahabad High Court, the then Prime Minister was charged with two cases, corrupt practices and misuse of government machinery", Jaishankar recalled.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Emergency was imposed to bring down morale of the country, says EAM Jaishankar
It's not normal when students are sleeping the hostel, and suddenly some of them are taken away for no reason. This happened during nights. Imagine the trauma everyone had to go through External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said, speaking at the inaugural session of the Mock Parliament organized by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) on Friday (June 27, 2025). This whole exercise was done to bring down the morale of the country, he said. I was studying when the Emergency was imposed in 1975, and I will never forget what happened and what everyone had to go through. The lesson I took away from Emergency was, 'Never take freedom for granted.' Everybody assumes Emergency is related to politics, but it was always more than that. It affected every aspect of the country, including arts, culture, cinema, education. 'It affected everybody's way of life,' the External Affairs Minister said. Emergency was imposed based on the rationale that there were imminent internal threats to the Indian state, and some minor internal issues were portrayed as security threats to the country. Many important leaders were arrested, he noted.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
'Never Take Freedom For Granted': Jaishankar Slams Gandhi Family For Emergency
Speaking at the inaugural event of the Mock Parliament by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) to mark 50 years of Emergency, Jaishankar said, 'All this happened because of one family. There's a movie titled 'Kissa Kursi Ka', and these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like the Emergency take place."
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bharat Mata portrait row triggers protests; CPM mouthpiece slams guv
Thiruvananthapuram/Kozhikode: The Bharat Mata portrait row involving governor Rajendra V Arlekar and the state govt intensified on Saturday, with protests erupting across various parts of the state and CPM's mouthpiece Deshabhimani publishing a hard-hitting editorial against Raj Bhavan. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a strongly worded editorial, Deshabhimani asserted that Raj Bhavan is not a "shakha" (unit) of RSS. It accused the governor of publicly challenging the Constitution by turning Raj Bhavan into a venue to display and propagate RSS ideology. How else could this act be described, if not as a blatant violation of constitutional norms, it asked. According to the latest photos released by Raj Bhavan, the governor paid floral tributes to the portrait during the Yoga Day celebrations held there on Saturday. Raj Bhavan also dismissed reports that its security would be handed over to the central forces due to threats from opposition youth organisations. "The governor has total faith in the commitment to duty and efficiency of Kerala police in the discharge of their responsibility. ...," a statement from Raj Bhavan said. CITU took out a protest march to Raj Bhavan, accusing the governor of attempting to turn it into a centre of RSS activity and violating the Constitution. SFI raised a banner in front of the Sanskrit College in Palayam, declaring that "Raj Bhavan is not RSS's ancestral property". In Kozhikode, a protest by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) against general education minister V Sivankutty, who had walked out of an event at Raj Bhavan over the portrait, ended in a clash with SFI workers. The BJYM workers staged the protest when the minister arrived at Jubilee Hall to attend an event organised in connection with the upcoming SFI national conference in the city. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As the minister arrived, Yuva Morcha workers waved black flags. However, a group of SFI workers present at the venue tried to stop them, leading to the clash. Police intervened and took the protesters into custody. Sivankutty later alleged that the RSS faction controlling Raj Bhavan had orchestrated the demonstrations against him in Kozhikode. In protest against the police action, BJP workers staged a demonstration near the venue at Tali Temple. They burnt an effigy of Sivankutty and alleged that police personnel deployed in the area were aiding SFI workers in unleashing violence against BJYM activists. BJP district president Prakash Babu warned that the party would continue its protest if the police failed to take appropriate action against the SFI workers who, he claimed, attacked Yuva Morcha activists in custody. Meanwhile, BJP workers paid floral tributes to portraits of Bharat Mata, similar to the one placed in Raj Bhavan, at various district centres as a mark of protest against the LDF govt's stand on the issue. (With agency inputs)
