New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, interacting with participants of the 7th Batch of Rajya Sabha internship program (RSIP-7) at Vice-President Enclave, New Delhi, on Friday, reminded the gathering of a critical historical episode, namely the Emergency.

He said, “Today I am reflecting on an incident, which comes as a sad anniversary within seven days. India was in the 28th year of its independence from the British colonial regime in 1975. It was June 25, 1975, at midnight. The President of India, then, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, signed, at the instance of the then Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi — a declaration of Emergency in the nation. It was for the first time.”

Dhankhar stated, “Now you are discerning minds. A President cannot act on the advice of an individual, the Prime Minister. The Constitution is very categorical. There is a council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President. This was one violation, but what was the result? More than 100,000 citizens of this country were put behind bars in hours.”

Reflecting on the collapse of democratic institutions, he said, “They were dragged out of their homes, put in jails all over the country. Our Constitution ceased to exist. Our media was held hostage. Some of the illustrious newspapers had blank editorials.”

Sharing a chilling account of those arrested, he noted, “And you know, illustratively, who were these people who were suddenly put behind bars? Many of them became Prime Ministers of this country — Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai, Chandra Shekhar Ji. Many of them became Chief Ministers, Governors, Scientists, and talented people. Many of them were your age.”

Turning to the judiciary’s role, the Vice-President highlighted, “That was a time when the fundamental essence of democracy capsized in times of distress. People look up to the Judiciary. Nine High Courts in the country have gloriously defined that, emergency or no emergency, people have fundamental rights, and there is access to the justice system. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court overturned all nine High Courts and gave a judgment which will be the darkest in the history of any Judicial institution in the world that believes in the rule of law. The decision was that it is the will of the Executive to have Emergency for as much time as it thinks fit.”

“And secondly, during an Emergency, there are no fundamental rights. So the judgment of the Supreme Court legitimised dictatorship, authoritarianism, and despotism in this land, Bharat, the oldest and now most vibrant democracy. You, therefore, have to remember it because you were not there. I was there,” Dhankhar said.

Drawing attention to a significant development, he added, “And therefore, the present government thought very wisely, and a notification was issued on July 11, 2024. And that was for a valid reason — we were having the 75th year of our Republic. We became independent in 1947. The 75th came earlier, but we became a Republic. So, we were starting that adoption of the Indian Constitution, the 75th year, and this day was declared officially by a gazette notification on July 11, 2024 — that June 25th will be Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas.”

He said with a call to duty, “And this is to make the event a sombre reminder — that we have to be ourselves, Guardians and watchdogs of democratic values. So, I urge all of you to carefully analyse. Then you will come to know the price of democracy.”

Emphasising another important aspect, Dhankhar said, “India is a country that believes in harmony, which means you practise a religion as per your volition, your option, your choice. You cannot be made to be attracted to a religion by sugar-coated promises, allurements. That is a step towards destroying a sense of Indian identity. Anyone has the right to choose a religion of his or her choice. But if there is allurement, temptation, something that comes with a string that is a challenge to our civilizational assets. Our foundations will shake, and I can assure you this change is taking place. Every individual has a right and a duty to attend to this.”

–IANS

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