Latest news with #EmergencyDiaries
NDTV
28-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Himanta Sarma Launches 'Emergency Diaries', Calls For Removing 'Secularism, Socialism' From Constitution
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while addressing the media on Saturday at Vajpayee Bhawan, the state BJP headquarters in Guwahati, launched a book titled 'Emergency Diaries', highlighting the resistance and struggle during the Emergency, particularly emphasizing the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Today, we have launched the book Emergency Diaries, which is basically about the struggle and resistance movement during that time organised by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Mr Sarma said. He added that it is now time to erase the legacies of the Emergency period, comparing it with PM Modi's ongoing efforts to remove remnants of colonial rule from Indian systems. "In the same spirit, we must work to wipe out the legacies of the Emergency. Two important legacies from that time are the insertion of the words secularism and socialism into our Constitution," he said. "I believe the word secularism contradicts Sarva Dharma Samabhava, which is a truly Indian concept. Similarly, socialism does not reflect our economic philosophy, which has always been about Sarvodaya and Antyodaya," he said. Launched the book 'Emergency Diaries' which chronicles Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji's life during the emergency and how he resisted the draconian regime and its unlawful practices. 📍 Guwahati — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 28, 2025 Calling the terms foreign impositions, Mr Sarma urged the government of India to consider removing them. "These two words were not part of the original Constitution but were inserted later by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Therefore, I request the government of India to delete the words socialism and secularism from the Preamble of our Constitution," he said.
Hans India
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Emergency: The betrayal that we must never forget, never repeat
It is tempting to believe that the national Emergency is history—done and dusted. Some like AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge even scoff, saying, 'It's a forgotten issue, raked up only by the BJP to hide its failures.' But such indifference is dangerous. The very reason we must observe this black chapter is to remind those born after 1975 that India once witnessed its Constitution being subverted, its democracy throttled, federalism undermined, and its people robbed of liberty and dignity. The Emergency was not just a moment—it was a mindset. A mindset that still lurks in the corridors of power, waiting for complacency to return. It must not be remembered merely as a historical footnote but as a blood-stained warning. A reminder that when citizens sleep, tyranny wakes. When a nation forgets to question, it forfeits its right to be free. Andhra Pradesh recently witnessed how blind faith in a single leader without vision and vindictive political attitude can ruin a state. Between 2019 and 2024, under Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, governance turned autocratic. The man earned the moniker of a political 'psycho,' and his party, the YSRCP, having been routed, still hasn't learned any lessons. Their brand of rule eerily echoed Emergency-era overreach—draconian laws, surveillance of dissent, and misuse of institutions. That is why we must understand: the tools of tyranny are always just a signature away from misuse. If we cannot guarantee that it won't happen again, we've learned nothing. And that would be the second betrayal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the newly released Emergency Diaries, recounts his role as a young RSS pracharak resisting Indira Gandhi's dictatorship. The book compiles first-hand accounts from those who stood with him in that fight. It's not about glorifying one man—it's about preserving the memory of those who fought to keep India democratic. While I do not wish to romanticise the rulers who imposed it, I refuse to whitewash the horrors either. Sanjay Gandhi—the de facto prime minister—led a brutal sterilisation campaign. Over 1.07 crore procedures were carried out in two years. People were denied rations, jobs, healthcare, and even housing if they had more than two or three children and resisted sterilisation. Coercion replaced compassion. Dignity was crushed. As a student at Delhi University, I witnessed this first-hand. I barely escaped arrest for resisting it. I remember the slogan that defines our collective duty today: Remember. Resist. Reclaim. Two moments are etched in my memory with permanent ink. The first: the night of June 25, 1975, when India lost its voice to Emergency. The second: the horrific 1984 anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi's assassination. Thousands were killed, injured, and displaced. And yet, all Rajiv Gandhi could say was,'When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.' That was not just insensitivity—it was complicity cloaked in metaphor. Today, when Congress spokespersons and self-styled intellectuals lambast the Modi government for not calling a special Parliament session after Operation Sindoor or for not 'consulting' the opposition, I ask: did you ever question the undemocratic decisions under Congress rule? Take bank nationalisation in 1969. Was there a cabinet debate? No. The PMO summoned a Finance Ministry official and demanded a draft in three hours. An ordinance was issued unilaterally. When Emergency was imposed in 1975, even key ministers were unaware. Indira Gandhi called a meeting of select ministers including Jagjivan Ram during the early hours of June 26, told them of her decision, and then announced it on Akashvani. No agenda papers, no consultation, just dictation. This was not governance—it was authoritarianism. What followed was a national assault. A constitutional coup. At midnight—not to awaken a nation like Nehru once dreamed, but to push it into darkness—Indira Gandhi suspended the Constitution, jailed opposition leaders, censored the press, and turned institutions into loyalist echo chambers. Over 100,000 people were jailed under preventive detention laws like MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act). Parliament became a puppet theatre. The media, once the fourth pillar, fell to its knees. The bureaucracy obeyed whispered orders. The Constitution was turned into a pliable sheet of rubber. Fundamental Rights were suspended. Habeas corpus—the last refuge of individual liberty—was buried. The Supreme Court, the last hope, failed in its duty during the infamous ADM Jabalpur case. Only one judge—Justice H R Khanna—had the courage to dissent. For that, he was superseded and denied the Chief Justice's post. It took the 44th Amendment later to undo the worst constitutional wreckage. The Emergency was not imposed because of any real internal threat. It was to save Indira Gandhi's political career after the Allahabad High Court invalidated her election. The Congress sycophancy of that era echoed in slogans like 'Indira is India, and India is Indira.' What followed was not democracy—it was despotism draped in national flags. Where were the voices of conscience then? Today's loud liberal intellectuals—editors, poets, professors—pontificate on freedoms, but where were they when journalists were jailed and newspaper printing presses were sealed? Their silence then was louder than their activism today. The Emergency also exposed how easily our institutions could crumble. They were not destroyed from outside—but from within. The executive bent them. The judiciary surrendered. The press folded. The opposition was crushed. And yet, democracy survived—not because of institutional bravery but because of public resistance. At the helm of that resistance stood Jayaprakash Narayan. JP was no career politician—he was the moral compass of the nation. His call for 'Total Revolution' united students, farmers, intellectuals, and politicians across ideologies. His arrest wasn't just an attack on a man—it was an attack on the soul of India. He rightly said, 'This is not a struggle for power. It is a struggle for the soul of the nation.' And when he warned that if Emergency continued, democracy would die—he wasn't exaggerating. We survived because we resisted. India's democracy survived because the people stood up—not because the system saved them. Those who fought deserve honour. Those who stayed silent deserve history's condemnation. As we mark 50 years since that night, we must ask the hardest question: Could it happen again? The answer is asobering—yes. It can happen again if we become complacent. If we stop being vigilant. If we allow institutions to decay. If we forget history. Indira Gandhi is gone. But Emergency as an idea isn't. It lives on in every authoritarian instinct, in every call for censorship and in every abuse of power. It survives in every arrogant dismissal of democratic consultation, and in every attempt to centralise power in one hand. Emergency was not merely a past event. It was a trauma, a warning, a mirror. Let us never allow it to be repeated. Let us pass this memory to every generation. Not as a tale of despair—but as a torch of vigilance. India must remember. India must resist. India must reclaim. (The author is former Chief Editor of The Hans India)
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
BlueKraft Digital Foundation publishes book on 50th Anniversary of Emergency in India
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): BlueKraft Digital Foundation has published a book, 'The Emergency Diaries: Years that Forged a Leader'. The book delves into the compelling role Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then a young RSS Pracharak, played in the fight against the Emergency. According to the release, Emergency Diaries - paints a vivid picture of PM Modi fighting for the ideals of democracy and how he has worked all his life to preserve and promote it. 'In the mid-1970s, as India was caught in the iron shackles of the Emergency, Narendra Modi, then a young pracharak of the RSS, found himself on the front lines of a covert resistance against the autocratic regime of Indira Gandhi.' 'Based on first person anecdotes from associates who worked with young Modi, and using other archival material, including hitherto unseen letters and photographs, the book is a first of its kind that creates new scholarship on the formative years of a young man who would later on go on to become India's most consequential Prime Minister,' press release added. Home Minister Amit Shah released the book at a function in New Delhi. 'This compelling narrative delves into his untold experiences during one of the darkest periods in Indian democracy. From distributing banned literature to organising undercover meetings, PM Modi's journey during the Emergency offers a unique, ground-level perspective on the struggle against authoritarianism. It's a tale of resilience, ingenuity and relentless commitment to preserving democratic ideals enshrined in our constitution - a testament to how the resolve of thousands of young men like Narendra Modi helped ignite a movement that reshaped a nation's destiny,' the release stated. Prime Minister Modi said that the book will create awareness among the youth of the 'shameful time' from 1975 to 1977. 'The Emergency Diaries' chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time. I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977,' PM Modi wrote on X. As per the release, book narrates Prime Minister Modi's narrow escapes and his unwavering commitment to restoring democracy as he navigates through a landscape of fear and repression. 'Drawing from his own memoir, 'Sangharsh Ma Gujarat', and other firsthand accounts, this book not only illuminates a pivotal moment in India's history but also unveils a formative chapter in the life of a leader who would later assume the responsibility of holding the highest office in the world's largest democracy.' Between 25 June 1975 and 21 March 1977, India was placed under a state of Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution. On 25 June 1975, the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance. This was the third Emergency in India's history, but the first one declared in peacetime. Earlier proclamations were during wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1971). (ANI)
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Swamiji' in jail: Book chronicles PM Modi's daring underground role during Emergency
NEW DELHI: A new book sheds light on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's covert operations during the 1975-77 Emergency, including a daring visit to a jail in Bhavnagar disguised as a 'swamiji' to meet incarcerated activists. Titled 'The Emergency Diaries – Years that Forged a Leader' and published by BlueKraft, the book chronicles Modi's underground work as a young RSS pracharak. Evading detection under a government ban on the RSS, Modi adopted various disguises—most frequently a convincing Sikh identity—and helped run an anti-Emergency campaign through secret meetings, family support drives, and literature distribution. 'He not only ensured the regular publication of anti-Emergency literature but also took on the perilous responsibility of distributing it throughout Gujarat,' the book notes. One of the standout incidents comes from journalist Vishnu Pandya, who recalls that in September 1976, Modi entered Bhavnagar jail disguised as a spiritual leader. 'He stayed with us for about an hour. We discussed the jail administration, the families of prisoners, and how to promote anti-Emergency literature further. No one suspected it was Modi,' Pandya said. PM Modi also proposed innovative tactics — such as hiding pamphlets in barber shops and delivering documents via trains instead of the postal system — to reduce the risk of arrest. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3BHK Transformation Possible for ₹4.5 Lakh? HomeLane Get Quote Undo Longtime RSS member Nagar Bhai Chavda recalled that Modi used code words like 'Chandan ka Karyakram' for meetings and only stayed in houses with multiple exit routes in case of police raids. The book highlights his collaboration with senior RSS leaders Nath Zagda and Vasant Gajendragadkar, and how he advised volunteers to keep community contact alive despite the ban on RSS shakhas. Sharing his reflections on social media, PM Modi wrote: 'The Emergency Diaries brought back many memories. I urge all those who remember or whose families suffered during the Emergency to share their stories online to create awareness among the youth of those dark days.' (With PTI inputs)
NDTV
25-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"I Was Young RSS Pracharak": PM Introduces Book On His Emergency Journey
New Delhi: As the country marked 50 years of Emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced a book that chronicles his experience during those years and how they shaped his journey as a leader. 'The Emergency Diaries', presented by BlueKraft Digital Foundation, relies on first-person accounts of associates who worked with him back then, and other archival material. "'The Emergency Diaries' chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time. I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977," the Prime Minister posted on X. 'The Emergency Diaries' chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time. I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2025 "When the Emergency was imposed, I was a young RSS Pracharak. The anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me. It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement," he said. When the Emergency was imposed, I was a young RSS Pracharak. The anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience for me. It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2025 BlueKraft Digital Foundation said the book is a first of its kind and "creates new scholarship on the formative years of a young man who would give it his all in the fight against tyranny". "Emergency Diaries - paints a vivid picture of Narendra Modi fighting for the ideals of democracy and how he has worked all his life to preserve and promote it. This book is a tribute to the grit and resolve of those who refused to be silenced, and it offers a rare glimpse into the early trials that forged one of the most transformative leaders of our time," he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the book this evening. In a separate post, the Prime Minister said the country marks the anniversary of the Emergency as Samvidhan Hatya Divas. "On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights were suspended, press freedom was extinguished and several political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens were jailed. It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest," he said. "No Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated, the voice of Parliament muzzled and attempts were made to control the courts. The 42nd Amendment is a prime example of their shenanigans. The poor, marginalised and downtrodden were particularly targeted, including their dignity insulted." Today marks fifty years since one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency. The people of India mark this day as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. On this day, the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2025 The Prime Minister said the country salutes every person who stood firm in the fight against the Emergency. "These were the people from all over India, from all walks of life, from diverse ideologies who worked closely with each other with one aim: to protect India's democratic fabric and to preserve the ideals for which our freedom fighters devoted their lives. It was their collective struggle that ensured that the then Congress Government had to restore democracy and call for fresh elections, which they badly lost," the Prime Minister said. "We also reiterate our commitment to strengthening the principles in our Constitution and working together to realise our vision of a Viksit Bharat. May we scale new heights of progress and fulfil the dreams of the poor and downtrodden," he said. On June 25 1975, the Indira Gandhi government imposed a nationwide Emergency. The government cited threats to national security, an economy in a shambles due to the global oil crisis and pointed to how strikes had paralysed production. The declaration of the state of Emergency suspended fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The right to challenge this in court was also suspended. The 21-month Emergency is a landmark event that altered the course of Indian politics. In the 1979 elections, Indira Gandhi was voted out and the Janata Party coalition came to power.
