(Daily News Scan - DNS English) Four Reasons behind Emergency
It’s been 45 years now, when a 21 months of Emergency period began from 1975-1977 in India. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had imposed emergency. This step suspended civil liberties and elections starting from June 25, 1975 continuing till March 21, 1977.
Officially, the proclamation of Emergency had been signed by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. In the early hours of June 26, political leaders, activists, and trade unionists who were against the Congress Party were imprisoned.
The goal of the 21-month-long Emergency in the country was to control “internal disturbance”, for which the constitutional rights were suspended and freedom of speech and the press withdrawn.
Indira Gandhi defended the drastic measure in terms of national interest that was based on three grounds –
- First, India’s security and democracy was in danger owing to the movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan.
- Second, in her opinion there was a need for rapid economic development and upliftment of the underprivileged.
- Third, she warned against the intervention of powers from abroad which could destabilise and weaken India.
The months preceding the declaration of the Emergency were distressed with economic trouble- Growing unemployment, rampant inflation and scarcity of food. The miserable condition of the Indian economy was accompanied by widespread riots and protests in several parts of the nation.
Everything was not normal. The trouble began in Gujarat, spread to Bihar and from there to several other parts of Northern India. While the streets were raging against Gandhi’s governance, another challenge arose for prime minister in the form of a petition filed in the Allahabad High Court.
There were four major occurrences of the 1970s, which influenced Indira Gandhi to declare the Emergency.
Navnirman Andolan in Gujarat
In December 1973, students of L D College of Engineering in Ahmedabad went on a strike to protest against a hike in school fees. A month later, students of Gujarat University erupted in protest, demanding the dismissal of the state government. It called itself the ‘Navnirman movement’. Gujarat at that time was governed by the Congress. The student protests against the government escalated and soon factory workers and people from other sectors of society joined in.
Clashes with the police, burning of buses and government office and attacks on ration shops became an everyday happening. By February 1974, the central government was forced to act upon the protest. It suspended the Assembly and imposed President’s rule upon the state. The last act of the Gujarat drama was played in March 1975. Indira Gandhi dissolved the assembly and announced fresh elections to it in June.
The JP movement
Following in the footsteps of Gujarat, a similar movement was launched in Bihar. Students protest erupted in Bihar in March 1974 to which opposition forces lent their strength. First, it was soon headed by 71-year-old freedom fighter Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly called JP. Second, in the case of Bihar, Indira Gandhi did not concede to the suspension of the Assembly. However, the JP movement was significant in determining her to declare Emergency.
Jayaprakash was a freedom fighter known for his selfless activism since the days of the nationalist movement. His entry gave the struggle a great boost. His entry led to the change in the name of the movement, ‘Bihar movement’ now became the ‘JP movement’. He motivated students to boycott classes and work towards raising the collective consciousness of the society. A large number of clashes with the police, courts, and offices took place, schools and colleges were shut down.
A large procession led by JP in JUNE 1974 through the streets of Patna concluded in a call for ‘total revolution’. He demanded the dissolution of the state government. But it was not accepted. Further, he toured across large parts of Northern India, drawing students, traders and sections of the intelligentsia towards his movement.
Indira Gandhi critized the JP movement and challenged him to face her in the general elections of March 1976. While JP accepted the challenge and formed the National Coordination Committee for the purpose, Gandhi soon imposed the Emergency.
The Railways’ Protest
The country was paralysed by a railways strike led by socialist leader George Fernandes. Lasting for three weeks, in May 1974, the strike resulted in the halt of the movement of goods and people. Gandhi’s government came down heavily on the protesters. Thousands of employees were arrested and their families were driven out of their quarters.
The Raj Narain verdict
While opposition parties, trade unions, students and parts of the intelligentsia had occupied the streets in protest against Indira Gandhi’s government, a new threat emerged before her in the form of a petition filed in the Allahabad High Court by socialist leader Raj Narain who had lost out to Gandhi in Rae Bareli parliamentary elections of 1971.
The petition accused the prime minister of having won the elections through corrupt practices.
She was accused of spending more money than allowed and was blamed that government officials led her campaign.
On March 19, 1975, Gandhi became the first Indian prime minister to testify in court. On June 12, 1975, the Allahabad High Court declared Gandhi’s election to Parliament as null and void, but she was given a span of 20 days to appeal to the Supreme Court.
On June 24, the Supreme Court put a conditional stay on the High Court order: Gandhi could attend Parliament, but would not be allowed to vote unless the court pronounced on her appeal. The judgments gave motivation to the JP movement, of their demand for the resignation of the prime minister. Further, by now even senior members of the Congress party were of the opinion that her resignation would be favourable to the party. However, Gandhi firmly held on to position with the conviction that she alone could lead the country in the state that it was in.
A day after the Supreme Court judgment, an ordinance was drafted declaring a state of internal emergency and the President signed on it immediately. The ultimate goal of the 21 months of emergency was to control the internal disturbances in the country. Journalist were given guidelines and rules were laid down for them. All the newspapers in the country had to seek permission before publishing anything. The Emergency was the most controversial times of the Indian history.
