ARCHITA OBEROI (2nd Year; Miranda House)
“Poora rashan , poora kaam Nahi toh hoga chakka jam Janta ka dil bol raha h Indra ka singhasan Dol raha h”
INTRODUCTION Emergency in 1975 was one of “the darkest periods” India could have ever witnessed in its entire history when over 1 lakh people, including eminent personalities like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai, Biju Patnaik, Chandra Shekhar & many more, were arrested. In short, whosoever went against the Indira Gandhi-led government was sent behind the bars. It was a time when an atmosphere of fear was created, and our democracy was badly threatened. Altogether, an emergency is often considered the darkest phase in India whenever declared and when one says “Emergency”, how can we not mention “Indira Gandhi”? The emergency is considered synonymous with Indira Gandhi for a reason.
The emergency is known as the emergency because the government invokes emergency provisions of the Constitution. Our Indian constitution gives the President the authority to declare three types of emergencies: national, state, and financial. The Emergency provisions under our Constitution have been borrowed from the Weimar Constitution of Germany. The provisions under Indian Constitution for emergencies are discussed between articles 352- 360 (Part XVIII). The President has been given the authority to declare three types of emergencies: ● Article 352- National Emergency ● Article 356- State Emergency (Presidential rule) ● Article 360- Financial emergency Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed announced the National Emergency on 25th June.
Impact of national emergency ● No media outlet was permitted to disseminate news without censoring. ● All of these incidents resulted in a breach of certain fundamental rights as well as a case of pure human rights violation. ● In several parts of India, armed personnel were formed to prevent individuals from establishing organizations and discussing non-personal topics. ● Looking at the issues of people’s human rights during times of emergency, it must be said that it was one of the most arbitrary powers exerted by the Constitution as well as the Government towards its people. ● The Constitution, a holy charter of fundamental liberties, has been undermined in the most merciless way conceivable. ● One of the primary responsibility of the police and military was to prevent individuals from establishing groupings and to arrest those who seemed or acted suspiciously.
Some positive side to it While the Emergency of 1975-77 was a great blow to India in political terms, it was a period of significant economic growth. From agricultural output, industrial production, and inflation to the number of workdays lost to strikes and labor unrest, all major economic indicators were positive for the Indian economy. Due to various steps taken by the Indira Gandhi government in 1974, when inflation was in the high double-digits, wholesale price inflation fell precipitously to -1.1 per cent in 1975 and 2.1 percent in 1976. Food inflation was well into negative category- at 4.9 percent and -5.1 percent for those two years. It was at s dizzying 38 percent in 1974.
An economic critique It is important to note here that the initial reaction towards emergency by the middle and lower socio-economic class was positive. There was calm and tranquility as the students , after months of agitation, returned to classrooms; demonstration came to an end . There was less crime in the cities as most of the smugglers , black marketers , hoarders , illegal traders and troublemakers were in prison . Another area of improvement was government administration . Anecdotal evidence suggests that government servants came to the office on time and were more considerate to the public. Before examining this matter , we must clearly understand that the emergency was basically a political event at a time when the economy and economic growth meant very little for India . In 1975 , there was no private sector in India worth the name . This was a heyday of command economy and of Licence – quota – permit raj! Having said that , since emergency was basically a classical dictatorship , its impact on the country meant that, at the surface level , there was greater efficiency in the functioning of various machineries of the government .
Memories By Richard mahapatrra Does a five-year-old child have memories of things that happened some 39 years ago? As a five-year-old, I don’t remember even where I was at that point of time; it is a period of life I have absolutely re-constructed through others’ memories. I feel as if I lived through that period. And the two things that always connect me intensely to that period: the abolition of the right to property as a fundamental right and addition of fundamental duties that include the duty to protect the environment, both through the now historic and infamous 42nd amendment to the Constitution.
Dr Arvind Gupta began by alluding to the ‘Emergency of 1975’ as the darkest period in Indian Democracy. He said that 25th June is a reminder of the dark day in modern Indian history that posed a significant threat to Indian Democracy and was also a great opportunity to recall the resistance of the brave people who restored our democratic ethos.
One of the ugliest memories from the Emergency was the mandatory birth control carried out by the ruling party under the leadership of Indira Gandhi’s younger son, Sanjay Gandhi. Government officials and bureaucrats were given ‘targets’ i.e. the number of men they were supposed to convince into getting a vasectomy, in order to control the population.
While the government throughout maintained that the sterilization was a voluntary programme, many reports claim that this policy was blatantly misused by the officials as several Indians were coerced into getting sterilized. Furthermore, there are many reports on the use of sterilization as a tool to threaten opposition leaders.
Apart from this the memories which people shared and the only point which I can frame after analyzing it is that at the time of emergency everyone is in a climate of fear. Subsequently, M.J akbar commented that ‘emergency jaise logo ke upar bijli ki tarah giri’. A 68 years old woman states that the emergency was a time period when there seems to be constant strikes devastating inflation , price rise , and unending protests. Moreover an old man whose marriage was fixed around the date of emergency was in the intense fear he states that, ‘har taraf dar ka mahol tha aur logo ke man mein dhashat thi…..uss din subah toh hue lekin kaye logo ke zindage mein andhera cha gaya’….and he ended this with a sad tone.
Suppress, Torture and Crackdown on Civil Liberties The blatant abuse of power by the then PM gave her supporters within and outside the government excessive power to crack down on every dissenting voice. The government’s grip on the channels of information was so tight that countless incidents of suppression went unreported. The families of arrested leaders and protesters were often driven out of their homes, questioned and tortured without charges. Any association with the opposition meant that a constant threat of arrest and exploitation loomed over every innocent citizen.
SUM-UP :- PM Indira Gandhi declared an emergency throughout the country . For the next 2 years the FR of the people get suspended . Several opposition leaders get jailed and this part of history is considered a black mark in Indian democracy.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Jstor – The Indian emergency in economic context
Documentary on emergency of India.
Survey reports
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