Emergency: 50 years later, a reflection

Kicking off the first session of parliament in his third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a strong stance against the main Opposition Congress even before the Lok Sabha convened on Monday, June 24. Speaking to the media, he highlighted that June 25 marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, considered by and large as a “dark chapter” in the history of Indian democracy.

“You talk about the Emergency from 50 years ago, but you ignore the undeclared Emergency of the past 10 years,” Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Indian National Congress (INC) and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said. He also mentioned that the INDI Alliance will continue to raise people’s concerns, both inside and outside Parliament.

KEY EVENTS THAT ALTERED HISTORY
Driven by the need for economic development, the Emergency led then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to throw many ministers in jail and put an iron grip on the media. During this time, her son, Sanjay, also led forced sterilization campaigns in Delhi and slum clearance projects.

The President has declared an Emergency. “There’s no need to panic. You might have heard about the big conspiracy that has been growing since I introduced changes to help the common man and woman in India.” With these words broadcast on All-India Radio, Indira Gandhi had announced the historic Emergency in 1975. Looking back, the two-year-long Emergency is seen as one of the darkest times in India’s post-Independent history. It was also a significant turning point in the political development of the INC.

Historian Ramachandra Guha called Indira Gandhi ‘the matriarch’. She had a complicated relationship with democracy, which is clear from many of her documented conversations reported by the Indian Express. In his book, ‘India After Gandhi’, Guha mentioned a conversation between Indira Gandhi and her friend that took place in 1963. In it, she remarked that democracy often promoted mediocre individuals and empowered the loudest voices, regardless of their knowledge and understanding.

For Indira Gandhi, the Emergency was her biggest effort to silence all democratic voices and strengthen her authoritarian control. The Emergency was declared soon after the Raj Narain verdict, where the Supreme Court (SC) banned Indira Gandhi from voting. It was one of her toughest actions against political opponents and the media.

THE GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD IN 1971
In the 1971 General Elections for India’s 5th Lok Sabha, Indira Gandhi campaigned vigorously for herself and her party, leading the Congress to win 352 out of 518 seats. Raj Narain, from Ram Manohar Lohia’s SSP, contested against her in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, but lost by a significant margin despite his initial confidence.

CHALLENGE IN ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
Unwilling to accept defeat, Raj Narain filed a petition in Allahabad High Court on April 24, 1971, accusing Indira Gandhi of using corrupt practices. He claimed she had violated the election code by using government officials, vehicles and resources for her campaign, distributing liquor and blankets to influence voters and exceeding the campaign expense limit of Rs 35,000.

LEGAL BATTLE AND THE EMERGENCY
After Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi’s election void for corrupt practices, she appealed against the decision. While the Supreme Court was in vacation, she received a conditional stay. Subsequently, an Emergency was declared due to “internal disturbances”, and Indira Gandhi passed the 39th constitutional amendment, adding Article 392A to the Constitution, which stated that the election of Prime Minister and Speaker could not be challenged in any court. Instead, it could only be reviewed by a committee formed by Parliament. This effectively prevented the SC from ruling in Indira Gandhi’s case.

PROTESTS AND CRITICISM IN INDIA
Two factors—the prevailing political and economic situation, including the war with Pakistan, the drought in the country and the 1973 oil crisis—created the perfect conditions for Gandhi’s proclamation. As a result, there were widespread protests against the government’s authoritarian actions during this time. Leading the charge were the protests organized by Jayaprakash Narayan. Such newspapers as The Indian Express and The Statesman also voiced their opposition to the undemocratic conditions in the country.

By the end of the two years, Gandhi faced massive criticism from both the people of her country and world leaders. In March 1977, the Emergency, finally, ended, freeing India from its iron shackles.

CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS
January 1966: Indira Gandhi elected as prime minister
November 1969: The Congress splits after Gandhi expelled for breaking party rules
1973-75: Rise in political unrest and protests against Indira Gandhi-led government
1971: Political rival Raj Narain files complaint accusing Indira of electoral fraud
June 12, 1975: Allahabad HC finds Gandhi guilty of irregularities in election campaign
June 24, 1975: Supreme Court rules that Indira will lose her MP privileges and be barred from voting, but Indira allowed to remain as Prime Minister
June 25, 1975: President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, following Indira’s advice, declares state of Emergency using Article 352
June 26, 1975 : Indira delivers speech to nation on AIR
September 1976: Sanjay Gandhi starts large-scale forced sterilization programme in Delhi
January 18, 1977: Indira announces new elections and frees all political prisoners
March 23, 1977 : Emergency officially ends

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmai.com)

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)