What
The Emergency was set in motion by the Indira Gandhi government on June 25, 1975 and was in place for 21 months till its withdrawal on March 21, 1977. The order gave Ms. Gandhi the authority to rule by decree wherein civil liberties were curbed. An external Emergency was already in place even before the imposition of the internal one.
How
The Emergency was officially issued by the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. With the suspension of the Fundamental rights, politicians who opposed Ms. Gandhi were arrested. Threat to national security and bad economic conditions were cited as reasons for the declaration. In Tamil Nadu, the Karunanidhi government was dissolved. The DMK leader’s son M.K. Stalin was arrested amidst protests under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.
>Unlearnt lessons of the Emergency - Subramanian Swamy
When attempts at seeking homogeneity of Indian society are carried beyond a point, it is dangerous for democracy... Those of us who can stand up, must do so now.
>Mastering the drill of democracy - Gopalkrishna Gandhi
The Emergency is a distant memory today because the nation’s collective spine did not bend, the media stayed unbent and the judiciary remained independent.
>BJP uses Emergency to target Congress
The PM recalled the “darkest days” of Indian democracy when “the nation was bound with chains and turned into a jail due to one person’s lust for power”.
>Declaration of the Emergency
The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years by Pranab Mukherjee gives an insider’s account of one of the most turbulent times in Indian history.
>Advani fears another Emergency
“Now, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger,” says the veteran leader.
The Emergency in 7 seconds: Check out The Hindu's Vine video!
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