Emergency in India, When Congress Crushed Democracy and Contribution of RSS in Restoring it

– Ayush Nadimpalli

Emergency Imposed – 26th June 1975 ( midnight of June 25th) — The Day When Bharat’s democratic rights were crushed.

It is fashionable among India’s elitist “intellectual” circles to target anyone related to the Hindu Renaissance movement as fascist or Nazi. The only time that Independent India saw democratic rights completely being crushed was under Congress's rule. The only time post Independence, Bharat was subjected to Nazi-like and fascist-like treatment was under the Congress. Isn’t it revealing that the elite intellectuals do not remind the country of the emergency imposed in India under Smt.Indira Gandhi’s rule? Why?

It was the Lok Sangharsh Samiti under the leadership of Jai Prakash Narayan which ensured that Bharat breathed freely again. The Lok Sangharsh Samiti had thousands of volunteers from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, known as the RSS which spearheaded the Hindu renaissance movement since 1925.

Indira Gandhi, and the Congress Party’s misuse of Power and Malpractice :

On 12 June 1975, the Allahabad High Court found Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister guilty on the charge of misuse of government machinery for her election campaign. The court declared her election null and void and unseated her from her seat in the Lok Sabha. The court also banned her from contesting any election for an additional six years.

A book by a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office Sri Bishan Tandon gives details about the events of those crucial days. He writes in the PMO diary "Her objective is clear: whatever happens, she must remain PM. The senior leaders will applaud her as she does whatever she wants. Our ideals, values and yardsticks can go to hell. Is democracy nearing its end in our country" ( quoted in Sri LK Advani’s blog).

It is clear that in her quest for power at all costs, she imposed emergency on the mid night of June 25th and w.ef. from June 26th, 1975 . The order for emergency was signed by the President Faqruddin Ali Ahmed.

Indira Gandhi

Draconian Law MISA Imposed –

On July 4th, ( 3rd July midnight), a ban was put on RSS activities. On 5th August 1975, Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was imposed and thousands of people who were thought to be a threat to the Congress were put in jail and tortured. Political leaders belonging to the Jan Sangh and socialist party were also arrested. More significantly, common people with social consciousness were arrested and put behind bars.

Many of the Congress leaders who were instrumental in crushing people’s rights are or have been Cabinet ministers in the last 10 years of UPA government.

The Country Rises :

Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan

The country rose as one voice under the banner of Lok Sangharsh Samiti lead by Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan. Thousands of RSS volunteers under the direction of Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Deoras plunged into the movement. Almost all of them who participated in the movement were people on whom depended their entire family….and yet their family members supported their fight for democracy.

Balasahebji Deoras

‘The Economist’, London, on 4-12-1976 described the movement as “the only non-left revolutionary force in the world”. It said that the movement was “dominated by tens of thousands of RSS cadres, though more and more young recruits are coming”. Talking about its objectives it said “its platform at the moment has only one plank: to bring democracy back to India”.

Satyagraha was organised across the country and thousands got arrested. After almost 2 years of relentless struggle, the country was successful in restoring democracy. According to “The People Versus Emergecy: A saga of Struggle” the number of RSS swayamsevaks detained under MISA was 23015. The number of RSS activists arrested for offering satyagraha during emergency was 44965. Other accounts quoted in ” A Prisoner’s Scrap Book” – By LK Advani states, out of the 105000 detainees, 25000 were arrested during the first weeks of Emergency and another 80000 during Satyagraha. 70 died in custody.

Indira had to lift emergency on 21st March 1977.

Let us bow our heads in tribute to the lakhs of Bharatiyas who braved the odds to restore democracy and the thousands who faced the brutality of MISA.

Many of the people who have seen the Emergency, indicate that the anarchist situation and misuse of government machinery by the UPA government reminded them of the situation prevalent before the Emergency. Let us take a sankalp that we will not allow the institutions, values and ideals of Bharat to be compromised.

Arise, Bharat!

Appendix :

Table : Number of Arrests and Detentions in Various States/ UTs during Emergency

TOTAL BEHIND BARS : 1,10,806 [Source : Shah Commission’s Report on Emergency]