Bengaluru, Jun 26 (IANS): Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai said on Tuesday that there is a need for further study into the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975.

Addressing an interaction programme titled 'Emergency is an Insult to the Constitution' organised by the Citizens for Social Justice in Bengaluru, Annamalai said, "Why did B.R. Ambedkar resign from late former PM Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet? We should read his resignation letter. Congress leaders claim to be pro-poor and pro-SC and ST. Those who read Ambedkar's resignation letter will not forgive them in their lifetime."

“The memories of Ambedkar are with us, and the people of Karnataka are the ones who support Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he added.

Those who were arrested during the Emergency did not know when they would be released, the BJP leader said.

"The Emergency lasted for 21 months. However, those who were imprisoned had no idea whether it would last for 21 months, 21 years, or even 50 years," he said.

Annamalai continued: “I have read about the Emergency. In 1959, Indira Gandhi visited Kerala after becoming the President of the Congress. On her return, she pressured Nehru to sack the Communist government there. Subsequently, the Communist government in Kerala was dismissed on Indira Gandhi’s advice. It was presumed those days that the Central government had every right to dismiss state governments."

In 1966, after becoming the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi devalued rupee on June 6, 1966, he said.

"In 1967, Deputy Prime Minister Morarji Desai condemned this action. In 1969, 14 private banks were nationalised because they wouldn't provide loans to the poor. The country witnessed negative growth during Indira Gandhi's period, and all these factors resulted in the imposition of Emergency," he said.

The Congress loyalists and Communists churned out positive articles about the Emergency, the BJP leader said.

"In the backdrop of Emergency, ‘Black Day’ is being observed across the country. But this is not just a ‘Black Day’, it is a day that creates awareness to prevent any development that could lead to its recurrence," Annamalai said.