New Delhi: On the 40th anniversary of emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today recounted the time with a series of tweets and said that it was “one of India's darkest periods.”
In his first tweet in early morning today, PM Modi said, “We mark 40 years of one of India's darkest periods- the Emergency, when the then political leadership trampled over our democracy.”
Mentioning the call of socialist leader Jai Prakash Narayan, Modi said, “Inspired by the call of JP, several men & women across India selflessly immersed themselves in the movement to safeguard our democracy.”
“We are very proud of the lakhs of people, who resisted the Emergency & whose efforts ensured that our democratic fabric is preserved,” his another tweet read.
Modi, who was only 25 years old at the time, tweeted, “Personally, the Emergency brings back many memories. As youngsters, we learnt a lot during the anti-Emergency movement.”
“Emergency was a great opportunity to work with a wide spectrum of leaders & organisations fighting for the same goal- return of democracy,” Modi tweeted.
“A vibrant liberal democracy is the key to progress. Let us do everything possible to further strengthen our democratic ideals & ethos,” PM posted on his Twitter account.
On June 25, 1975, then Prime Minister India Gandhi declared the state of emergency in the country, acquiring all powers and imprisoning opposition leaders. Narendra Modi, who was an Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pracharak at the time, went into hiding and donned a Sikh attire as disguise.
