Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday inaugurated an exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency in Jammu, and said that no dictatorship will ever rise again if people succeed in conveying the right message to the younger generation.
Calling the Emergency “the most inhuman act in India’s democratic history”, he said that today’s observance of ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’ is also an opportunity for the reaffirmation of the commitment to democratic values and constitutional morality.
Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency by the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975.
“I believe the new generation must know about this dark chapter when democracy was throttled. If we succeed in conveying this message to them and the people, I believe no dictator will ever rise in this country again, and democracy will be safe,” Sinha told reporters.
“In that darkest period in India’s democratic history, the soul of the country was crushed, civil liberties were attacked, constitutional safeguards were violated and dreams of nation-building were buried.
“The suspension of fundamental rights, press censorship, and the widespread arrests of political opponents and citizens was a direct assault on the democratic dreams that fuelled India’s independence movement and were enshrined in its Constitution,” he said.
The LG, in his address, called upon the youth to take the lead in exposing those responsible for the murder of the Constitution and democratic values.
“Dictatorship is a mindset that needs to be understood. The new generation needs to know how India’s democracy was held captive for 21 months. The new generation needs to understand how our democratic values were tarnished and how some handful of people ruthlessly bled the very soul of the democratic republic, assaulted our democratic norms, shattered India’s ancient democratic form and damaged the four pillars of democracy, for sheer political gain.
The new generation also needs to be told how our great leaders and vigilant citizens displayed great courage and unshakeable loyalty to democratic values,” he further said.
The Lieutenant Governor also shared his personal experiences from the Emergency period and emphasized on educating the people about their rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Democracy is in the nature of India, democracy is ingrained in our veins since time immemorial, that is why India is called the mother of democracy. I also salute those great personalities who nurtured the rich tradition and heritage of this nation, those who truly enriched democratic values generation after generation.
I have full faith that the saga of sacrifices and resilience of our satyagrahis who valiantly protected the democratic values during the Emergency will continue to inspire us to further strengthen our democracy and build a truly developed India,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Political leaders and citizens who were the victims of Emergency shared the accounts of sufferings they endured during the dark period of Emergency. The LG assured them that their issues and concerns will be taken up with the concerned authorities.
On the occasion, a Dogri translation of ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’, ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita’ and ‘Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam’ were also released by the LG.
