The Emergency

PM Modi pays tribute to JP Narayan, Nanaji Deshmukh on birth anniversary

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

Best of BS Opinion: FTA with UK a clear shift in India's stance on trade

Our daily wrap of today's Opinion page traverses the India-UK FTA, what the RBI needs to do to make the financial inclusion index more transparent, US tariffs, and the Jane Street affair

Jaishankar blames Emergency-era deal for fishermen's arrests by Sri Lanka

At BJP Yuva Morcha event, S Jaishankar said that Indian fishermen continue to suffer due to a 1970s Emergency-era pact with Sri Lanka that was passed without parliamentary debate or consensus

Kharge slams Centre's Emergency commemoration as political diversion

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accuses the BJP of distracting from its failures with a circular on 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas', and calls the Modi govt an 'undeclared emergency'

No Indian will ever forget how Constitution was violated: PM on Emergency

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

A blot on democracy: Why we must not forget lessons from the Emergency

In a democracy, a free press does not only fulfil the function of educating people and offering them a range of ideological choices and opinions

Congress must apologise for imposing emergency in 1975: Venkaiah Naidu

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.

'Complete harassment': Kangana after SGPC calls for ban on 'Emergency'

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

SGPC to protest against Kangana Ranaut's film 'Emergency' in Amritsar

The film is being released today, January 17, which has invited strong opposition from the SGPC

Gadkari attends special screening of 'Emergency' film with Kangana Ranaut

Kangana took to Instagram and shared a couple of pictures from the screening

Petition filed in Chandigarh court demanding criminal case against Kangana

Advocate Ravinder Singh, said that in the film 'Emergency' made by Kangana Ranaut, an attempt has been made to defame Sri Akal Takht Sahib

To mark 1975 Emergency, Centre declares June 25 as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'

Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the commemoration will serve as a reminder of "what happened when the Constitution was trampled over"

'Reference to Emergency could have been avoided': Rahul to LS Speaker

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

France to lift emergency to allow political dialogue in New Caledonia

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 .

France declares emergency in New Caledonia amid violent protests

The violence, the worst in decades, is the latest flash point in long-running tensions over Paris' role in the archipelago

World Red Cross Day 2024: Date, history, theme, importance, and more

World Red Cross Day is observed every year on 8 May. This day is dedicated to individuals who are experiencing different natural calamities, armed conflicts, and other emergencies

Remember Emergency when India was locked by people for selfishness: Irani

There could not have been a more unfortunate time, such people wanted that India should always remain under British and if it does not remain under the British, then India should remain weak, she said

A new Kangana Ranaut movie revisits the anger and anguish of the Emergency

While her film isn't the first on the issue, it remains to be seen whether it will be a path-breaker of sorts or add to heap of banal celluloid art

The Emergency's legacies

The authoritarian streak in Indian politics had been growing long before 1975 and its influence may have actually increased, the authors of an authoritative book on this seminal period suggest

No painter of pretty pictures

If Amitava's early practice was characterised by anger, he has since tempered it with wisdom, yet he remains a chronicler of social wrongs, writes Kishore Singh