10. Emergency, 1975-77 The worst years for citizens, specially journalists, when Indira Gandhi, to maintain her supremacy imposed a state of emergency on June 25, 1975.
The Constitution was suspended and basic rights of freedom of speech and expression were curbed till early 1977, when Indira Gandhi went in for general elections in the false hope that her party would retain power.
Thousands of political activists, including major political leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, L K Advani and others were imprisoned. Censorship was imposed on the print media throughout India.
The nationwide suppression of people's rights, coupled with unbridled police atrocities in the guise of enforcing Sanjay Gandhi's programme of forced sterilisation, led to widespread revulsion against the Congress party.
In the 1977 general elections, both Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi were defeated from Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively, and the Congress party was almost decimated in almost all the states north of the Vindhyas.
The Janata Party government led by Morarji Desai as prime minister came to power.
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