New Delhi : After Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla condemned the Emergency Period, imposed in 1975, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the happenings during the Emergency exemplified what a dictatorship looks like.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "I am glad that the Honourable Speaker strongly condemned the Emergency, highlighted the excesses committed during that time and also mentioned how democracy was strangled. It was also a wonderful gesture to stand in silence in honour of all those who suffered during those days."
"The Emergency was imposed 50 years ago but today's youth needs to know about it because it remains a fitting example of what happens when the Constitution is trampled over, public opinion is stifled and institutions are destroyed. The happenings during the Emergency exemplified what a dictatorship looks like," PM Modi added.
Meanwhile, the NDA leaders held a protest in the Parliament premises on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the emergency, demanding an apology from the Congress.
BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "The whole nation is protesting today. This day is important in the minds of the people of India. 49 years ago today, the Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi. Around one and a half lakh people were jailed. 42nd Amendment was brought into the Consitution of India. It is important to show the mirror to Rahul Gandhi who speaks about saving the Constitution."
Union Minister Chirag Paswan said that the Emergency is a black spot in the history of India. "The whole country was turned into a prison and dictatorship was imposed. The current and the coming generations must know about it," Paswan said.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said the Congress needs to see its track record before claiming that the constitution was in danger. "Those who speak for the Constitution the most should also take the responsibility. They are gathering votes in the name of their father and grandmother, so will they take responsibility for their deeds? They should see their track record of how the democracy was choked," Kangana said.
Earlier, before adjourning the lower house till Thursday, Speaker Om Birla condemned the Emergency and the house also observed a two-minute silence for the people who lost their lives during the period.
"This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. Along with this, we appreciate the determination of all those people who opposed the Emergency, fought and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting the democracy of India. 25th June 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India," Birla said.
"On this day, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. India is known all over the world as the mother of democracy. Democratic values and debate have always been supported in India. Democratic values have always been protected, they have always been encouraged. Dictatorship was imposed on such an India by Indira Gandhi. The democratic values of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled," he added.