Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 25: On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency in India, a programme titled ‘50 Years of the Dark History’ was organised in Mangaluru, where prominent BJP leaders criticised the Congress party’s legacy and warned of the dangers of authoritarianism.

Addressing the gathering, Legislative Council Member C T Ravi stated, “Indira Gandhi performed surgery on the Constitution for her own political interests, removing provisions that hindered her. At that time, our Constitution was in a coma, and judicial independence had been seized. Indira Gandhi went as far as to say that she was above the Constitution — a statement that was even accepted by those seated on constitutional benches.”

He added, “Democracy had become a prisoner of dictatorship. Do Congress leaders have the moral right to carry a copy of the Constitution today? Even now, their mindset hasn’t changed. The party hasn’t learned from the dark lessons of the Emergency. The Congress still harbours an authoritarian attitude within.”

C T Ravi further recalled Dr B R Ambedkar's warning: “Congress is like a burning house — stay away from it,” and stressed the importance of remaining alert. Referring to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent remarks, Ravi said, “Kharge claimed that not a single BJP leader took part in the freedom struggle. But what was Kharge doing during the Emergency? Wasn’t your loyalty supposed to be to the Constitution?”

He accused Kharge of blindly supporting Indira Gandhi, stating, “While Indira Gandhi was praised, Kharge wagged his tail like a loyal follower, trailing behind her for biscuits she threw. When Congress comes to power — be it in the state or at the Centre — it becomes dictatorial.”

Speaking at the same event, BJP national general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal said, “Slavery is slavery — whether it is under the Mughals, the British, or the Congress. It can never be civilized. Swarajya and self-governance were the essence of our freedom movement, but under Congress rule, the country was again pushed toward slavery.”

He further alleged, “Even the name of one of the country’s most honest Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was not allowed to gain prominence under Congress’s servile leadership. Shastri was poisoned and killed abroad, but the Congress never investigated the matter nor allowed the truth to emerge. Immediately after his death, Indira Gandhi ascended to the Prime Minister’s post, which marked the beginning of autocracy.”

Das Agarwal stated that under the pretext of Emergency, Indira Gandhi committed widespread atrocities across the country, turning the entire nation into a prison. “Indira Gandhi was a dictator, and every leader from the Gandhi family — from Nehru, Indira, and Rajiv Gandhi to today’s adult youth leader of Congress — has followed the same authoritarian approach,” he alleged.

He warned that if Congress ever returns to power, there is a real danger of another Emergency-like situation. “As long as the BJP is in power, we will never allow a return to such a dark chapter in Indian democracy,” he concluded.