The Emergency of 1975 is a pivotal moment in India’s political history. On June 25 that year, just a few minutes before the clock struck midnight, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of internal Emergency that lasted for 22 months. It is often considered one of the darkest periods of Indian democracy, characterised by press censorship, suppression of civil liberties and forced sterilisation.
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, the Bharatiya Janta Party-led government at the Centre declared June 25 as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’. The ruling party has also been raking up Emergency on multiple occasions, with parliamentarians – including Union Ministers – demonstrating outside Parliament and seeking an apology from the Congress for “betraying” the country.
This is a counterattack to the INDIA bloc’s 'Save the Constitution' rhetoric during the Lok Sabha 2024 election campaigns. Previously, the saffron party had used Jawaharlal Nehru as a similar political weapon.
Be it Nehru or Indira Gandhi, their legacies continue to haunt Indian politicians across parties like Banquo's ghost.
Incidentally, amid the political drama, Kangana Ranaut-directed Emergency, in which she essays the life and political preoccupations of Indira Gandhi, was about to hit the theatres on September 6. However, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has stalled its release.
Read stories from Outlook's 11 March 2024 issue titled 'Re/Discovery'
In Outlook’s next issue, we not only take a look into Ranaut's film but also dive into what went on in those 22 months of Emergency. How did civil society react to the clampdown, and how did journalists and activists resist censorship?
In this issue, Kalpana Sharma writes about how Himmat Weekly, like a few other newspapers, ran blank editorials to mark the dark period. Kumar Ketkar writes about the exciting and challenging times for journalists who wrote in the volatile decade of the 1970s. Prem Shankar Jha writes on how during both the Emergency period and the last decade of the Modi government, his writing has been devoted to questioning the government’s policies and actions.
We also look into the BJP's and the Congress’ concerns about what they perceive as authoritarian tendencies. Indira Gandhi, like Nehru, remains a controversial figure and their decisions have impacted many. Perhaps, the Emergency will always overshadow the rest of Indira Gandhi’s legacy. But is that all her legacy entails?
Ultimately, the question is, was the Emergency of 1975 all that different from the censorship and suppression of dissent that we are witnessing today?
