“Country can never forgive black chapter of Emergency”: Ashwini Choubey

New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): BJP leader Ashwini Choubey said on Tuesday that the country can never forgive the black chapter of the Emergency.

Speaking to ANI on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Choubey said, “…The spark of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan’s 1974 movement was ignited in Bihar…People like us were the fighters of the student movement in Bihar at that time and the Student Struggle Committee called for a movement on 18 March…Later, Emergency was announced and we were all the victims of the Emergency.”

Remembering his days in jail during the Emergency, Choubey said, “The jailor hit me with his shoes, saying that Choubey had not died yet and since I was on hunger strike for 21 days in jail against corruption, I was on hunger strike for some time outside as well.”

The BJP leader said that thousands of people were “killed” during the period of the Emergency.

“Emergency was imposed in the night between June 25 and 26 June and this country knows that emergency as a black chapter, but the country can never forgive.

Thousands of people were massacred during the days of emergency. It is very unfortunate and very sad. Today thousands of families are crying…,” the BJP leader said.

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.

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.