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In an interview to The Indian Express newspaper on the 40th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency, Advani, who was strongly opposed to Narendra Modi’s candidature for the prime ministerial position, warned that “At the present point of time, the forces that can crush democracy, notwithstanding the constitutional and legal safeguards, are stronger.”
In a statement that can be interpreted freely, Advani said he does not see any sign in the Indian polity “that assures me, any outstanding aspect of leadership. A commitment to democracy and to all other aspects related to democracy is lacking”.
“Today, I do not say that the political leadership is not mature. But kamiyon ke karan, vishwas nahin hota (I don’t have faith because of its weaknesses). I don’t have the confidence that it (Emergency) cannot happen again,” he said.
He added that nothing has been done since the infamous crackdown on civil liberties and fundamental rights imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-‘70s that assures him that it won’t happen again.
“I don’t think anything has been done that gives me the assurance that civil liberties will not be suspended or destroyed again. Not at all,” he said.
“Of course, no one can do it easily… But that it cannot happen again — I will not say that. It could be that fundamental liberties are curtailed again,” the veteran BJP leader, who long nursed Prime Ministerial ambitions himself before being cast aside by the Modi juggernaut, told the newspaper.
He pointed out that today there is not enough awareness about, or commitment to, civil liberties or of the freedom of the press. “…the number of people in this generation who are committed to democracy and civil liberties is going down,” he said.
Advani also pointed out that the Emergency was imposed by Gandhi despite legal and Constitutional safeguards being in place, and that there still “aren’t enough safeguards in India in 2015”.
However, he also said the incident of the Emergency and the crushing loss of the Congress party in its aftermath would act as a deterrent to any party that wishes to go down that road again.
Referring to the Germanic experience following the second World War, Advani said “"It is also possible that as it happened in Germany — where Hitler’s rule appears to have inoculated the system against Hitlerian tendencies and because of which today’s Germany is more particular about democratic norms than even perhaps the British — we are saved from another Emergency by the Emergency."
He also suggested that popular movements against the so-called system could prove counter-productive and not necessarily results in better government. Referring to Anna Hazare’s movement on the Jan Lokpal issue – which finally resulted in the birth of the Aam Aadmi Party that now rules Delhi – Advani said “The failure of that movement has highlighted that if an agitation tries to take the form of government, it will not be successful.”
