Youth should know how Constitution was crushed during Emergency: Chhattisgarh CM Sai

Raipur, Jun 25 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Wednesday that protecting the Constitution is a collective responsibility, and urged the youth to understand how it was “crushed” during the Emergency.

Addressing an event on the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency by late former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Sai said his family also had to bear its brunt. The programme was held here at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium as a part of ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’.

Sai said the future generations must understand and learn from that “dark day of the murder of democracy”.

Addressing the students and youth present at the event, he said that protecting the Constitution is the collective responsibility of “all of us”, and urged them to know, read and understand the history of the Emergency and how the Constitution was “crushed” during that period.

The Emergency is a black chapter in the history of Indian democracy, which should not be forgotten, he said.

The Emergency was imposed in the country between June 25, 1975, and March 21, 1977. The 21-month period saw the suspension of civil liberties, and arrest of opposition leaders and the suppression of press freedom.

The CM said that period is deeply connected with his life. “It was not just an incident for me, but a personal pain,” he said.

His father’s elder brother Narhari Prasad Sai, who is now no more, was in jail for 19 months during the Emergency, he said.

The condition of the houses of ‘Loktantra Senanis’ (who were fighting for democracy) then was pathetic, said Sai.

“Many a time, they didn’t even have a fire burning in their kitchen. I have seen many such families. At the time, the autocratic power had crushed freedom of expression, while civil rights were snatched away. It was the dark days of democracy. My family too had to bear its brunt,” he said.

Public awareness and active participation are essential to keep democracy alive and strong, said the CM.

The Chhattisgarh government has been working to honour the families of Loktantra Senani (who were detained under MISA, or Maintenance of Internal Security Act) during the Emergency, he said. Their families are being given an honorarium from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. This is a humble effort to salute their struggle and sacrifice, Sai added.

In his address, Assembly Speaker Raman Singh called the Emergency a blot on the Indian Constitution and democracy, which he said has been recorded in black letters in history.

Not only was the Constitution rendered inactive through the Emergency, but the soul of democracy was also crushed by abolishing the fundamental rights, he added.

Singh called upon the youth to research, read and understand the Emergency and how many people sacrificed their lives to protect democracy. “We must always remain aware and vigilant to keep democracy safe in the future,” he added. PTI TKP NR