Students' textbooks should include chapter on how Emergency was imposed : Former Vice President Venakaiah Naidu

The Emergency, which is considered to be one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history, was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from June 25, 1975, to 1977.

Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the Emergency in 1975 had tainted the country's democracy and there should be a lesson in textbooks for students to be made aware of how it came to be imposed in the country. Speaking on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency, Naidu said, "The Emergency has put a taint on the country's democracy. There should be a lesson in the textbooks for all the students about what was and how it was imposed. Students should know that an emergency was imposed and how lakhs of people were arrested."

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi in sharp criticism of the Congress said that the dark days of the Emergency are a reminder of how the Congress Party trampled over the Constitution of India. Taking to X PM Modi posted, "Today is a day to pay homage to all those great men and women who resisted the emergency. The Dark Days of Emergency remind us of how the Congress Party subverted basic freedoms and trampled over the Constitution of India, which every Indian respects greatly."

He further said that just to cling on to power, the then Congress government disregarded every democratic principle. "Just to cling on to power, the then Congress government disregarded every democratic principle and made the nation into a jail. Any person who disagreed with Congress was tortured and harassed. Socially regressive policies were unleashed to target the weakest sections" the prime minister wrote.

BJP top leaders like JP Naddam Rajnath Singh, Jaishankar also launched a scathing attack on Congress over the emergency period. The Emergency, which is considered to be one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history, was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from June 25, 1975, to 1977.

There were political arrests, mass forced sterilisation and beautification drives among others during the period. All key opposition leaders at the time, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, and Jay Prakash Narayanan, among others, were either jailed or placed under detention. (ANI)

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