New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Union Ministers on Wednesday praised Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for his speech on the Emergency and asserted that future generations should be made aware of the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The leaders also criticised Congress for creating a ruckus while the House was condemning the Emergency and questioned whether the party supported it.
Earlier in the day, in his address to the house, Birla condemned the Congress-led government’s decision to impose an emergency in 1975 and the house also maintained a two-minute silence for the people who lost their lives during the period.
Even as the newly elected speaker was making his speech, the opposition parties continued sloganeering “Stop Dictatorship”. Afterwards, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till June 27.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh asserted that the youth of the country should know about the emergency. Speaking with ANI, Singh said, “The people who talk about protecting the Constitution…, never in the history of India was the Constitution blown up as it was done during an emergency…The youth need to know about the time of emergency…”
Union Minister Nityanand Rai while speaking with ANI came down heavily on Indira Gandhi and said that by imposing an emergency, she murdered democracy. “26th June is a day when Indira Gandhi shredded democracy and murdered it. Emergency was imposed in the country and people’s rights were snatched away. There was nothing like freedom in the country. The day was made captive once again but the youth, farmers, workers and women launched a movement and fought the second fight for liberty reinstated democracy once again and gave freedom to the country… What Indira Gandhi did was the murder of democracy. The more it is criticised, the less it is,” Rai said.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan also asserted that youngsters should be aware of the emergency period. He said, “The emergency is a black spot in the history of India. The whole country was turned into a prison and dictatorship was imposed. In such a situation, when 50 years of Emergency are about to be completed, it is necessary that the present generation and the future generation also learn from that era and try to move ahead…”
He added, “And when everyone talked about condemning the emergency, the way the opposition created a ruckus, does the opposition support that period?..”
Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that they always wanted to elect the Speaker with consensus but the opposition wanted to do politics on this. “In the end, we were able to elect Om Birla as the Speaker for the second time,” Kinjarapu said.
Calling emergency a black day for a democratic country like India, Kinjarapu said, “So, whenever we talk about emergency, it has to be condemned and that’s what our Speaker mentioned today… I don’t know why the opposition was creating a ruckus when that message was going on, especially Congress. Do they want Emergency to come back? Are they supporting emergency? Because when the House is condemning emergency, what is the reason for them to create a ruckus? They should answer this.”
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju spoke about the emergency resolution and said, “On 26th June 1975, the then PM Indira Gandhi called an emergency cabinet meeting and ratified post-facto, the PM took the decision alone… That is why today we passed the resolution in the House that such trampling, and demolition of the Constitution will not be allowed again. So, we have taken a resolution.”
Speaking with ANI, BJP MP from Bihar’s Patna Sahib, Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that it was imposed to save the post of Indira Gandhi. He said, “Today was a very historic day when 50 years of the emergency were completed. In the 18th Parliament, the speaker, through this resolution, put forth the truth that the emergency was imposed only and only to save Indira Gandhi’s chair.”
He added, “Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and LK Advani were jailed. Even Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav were jailed… Today, after 50 years, we are dedicated that emergency will never be imposed and the Congress party should stop pretending by keeping the book of the Constitution.”
While addressing the Lok Sabha, Birla had said, “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.
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and MP from Kota, Om Birla was elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha after the motion for the same was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The motion was adopted by the house through a voice vote. (ANI)
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