Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed chaos after newly-elected House Speaker Om Birla mentioned about “dark days of emergency” during former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure. Speaker Birla read out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency and termed the decision by then PM Indira Gandhi an “attack on the Constitution”.
Birla’s reference on Emergency period triggered a wave of protests by the Opposition in the House. It resulted into a face-off between the government and the opposition in the first session of the lower house.
"This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. We appreciate the determination of all those people who opposed the Emergency, fought and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting India's democracy," Birla said amid vociferous protests by opposition parties.
Opposition MPs, including from the Congress, were on their feet, raising slogans against the reference to the Emergency.
"June 25, 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India. On this day, then prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Babasaheb Ambedkar," the speaker said.
Birla said India was 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. Indira Gandhi imposed dictatorship on such an India. The democratic values ??of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled," Birla said.
He said the rights of Indian citizens were crushed and their freedom snatched away.
"Those were the times when opposition leaders were jailed, the entire nation was turned into a prison. The then dictatorial government had put several restrictions on the media and there was restraint on the autonomy of judiciary," Birla said.
Birla urged members to observe silence for a while and later adjourned the proceedings for the day. Soon after the House was adjourned for the day, BJP members staged protests by waving placards and raising slogans outside Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi terms Birla’s gesture “wonderful”: Taking to micro-blogging site—X, he said: “I am glad that the Honourable Speaker strongly condemned the Emergency, highlighted the excesses committed during that time and also mentioned the manner in which 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 it is important for today's youth 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,” he added.
