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The Emergency
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Jayaprakash Narayan, noted freedom fighter who led the movement against Emergency, and Nanaji Deshmukh, Jana Sangh leader and social activist, on their birth anniversaries. Modi said Loknayak (people's leader), as Narayan was fondly called, dedicated his life to empowering ordinary citizens and strengthening Constitutional values. "His clarion call for Sampoorna Kranti ignited a societal movement, envisioning a nation built on equality, ethics and good governance. He inspired numerous mass movements, notably in Bihar and Gujarat, which led to a socio-political awakening across India," he said. These movements, Modi added, shook the then-Congress government at the Centre, which went on to impose Emergency and trampled over the Constitution. The prime minister posted a page from 'Prison Diary', a journal Narayan wrote during his imprisonment at the time of Emergency, in which JP, a popular short version of his name, penned his
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that no Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of the Constitution was violated during the Emergency, as he affirmed his government's commitment to strengthening constitutional principles. In a series of posts on X on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, Modi said it was one of the darkest chapters in India's democratic history. The values enshrined in the Constitution were set aside, fundamental rights suspended, press freedom extinguished and a large number of political leaders, social workers, students and ordinary citizens jailed, he noted. The prime minister said, "It was as if the Congress Government in power at that time placed democracy under arrest." The Modi government had announced last year that the Emergency anniversary will be commemorated as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas". The 42nd Amendment, which made extensive changes to the Constitution and was reversed by the Janata Party government, is a prime example o
Terming the imposition of Emergency by the Congress government in 1975 as a 'draconian measure', former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu opined that the grand old party should apologise to the people for curtailing civil liberties during that period. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Venkaiah Naidu, who was a student union leader while pursuing law in Andhra University in Visakhapatnam during the emergency period, said he had to spend nearly one and a half years in prison for raising his voice against the government of the day. "It was a draconian measure. They (Congress) should have apologised for it. They should have regretted it. But the Congress never repented or apologised to the people. But they should have regretted imposing the Emergency. Now, on the occasion of the 50th year of emergency, they should express regret publicly," Naidu said. "I feel that they should really apologise to people for imposing emergency, for containing civil liberties, for imposing press censorship.
Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut on Friday said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's (SGPC) demand for a ban on "Emergency" and the film's restricted screenings in parts of Punjab is a complete harassment of art and the artist. On Thursday, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding a ban on the movie, which released across the country on Friday. Many cinemas in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda did not screen "Emergency" after members of the SGPC protested against the movie. Police force was deployed outside the malls and cinemas in the state. "This is complete harassment of art and the artist, from Punjab many cities are reporting that these people are not allowing Emergency to be screened. "I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh, I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to tarnish my image and harm my film #Emergency," Ranaut
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and voiced his displeasure over the reference to Emergency made by the chair, saying it was "clearly political" and could have been avoided. It was a courtesy call during which Gandhi also raised the issue of Emergency being invoked by the Speaker in the House, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal told reporters after the meeting in Parliament House. "It was a courtesy call. The Speaker declared Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition and after that he along with other INDIA alliance partner leaders met the Speaker," he said. Asked whether Gandhi discussed the issue of Emergency being raised in the House, Venugopal said, "We discussed so many things about Parliament functioning. Of course, this issue also came up." "Rahul ji, as Leader of Opposition, informed the Speaker about this issue, and said it could have been avoided from the Speaker's reference. That is clearly a political reference, it cou
French President Emmanuel Macron decided Monday to lift the state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia in a move meant to allow political dialogue following the unrest that left seven people dead and a trail of destruction, his office said. The president's office said in a statement the state of emergency won't be extended for the moment and will therefore end Monday at 8 pm in Paris, which is 5 am Tuesday in New Caledonia. The decision aims at enabling meetings of the various components of pro-independence movement FLNKS, the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front, and allow elected officials and other local leaders "in a position to call for lifting the barricades to go there and meet with protesters, the statement said. Macron repeatedly pushed for the removal of protesters' barricades with leaders on both sides of New Caledonia's bitter divide Indigenous Kanaks, who want independence, and the pro-Paris leaders, who do not. In the statement, he .