THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a candid reflection on the Emergency era, senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor has said that the 21-month period from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977, should not be seen merely as a dark chapter in Indian history but as a moment of critical learning. Writing in Malayalam daily Deepika, Tharoor emphasized that the Emergency’s harsh realities must be remembered and its lessons never forgotten.
Tharoor, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee, acknowledged that while the Emergency was declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, its excesses, particularly those under Sanjay Gandhi’s influence, were inexcusable. He pointed to forced sterilisation campaigns and slum demolitions as examples of authoritarian overreach, where violence and coercion were employed, often at the cost of the poor and marginalised.
“In rural India, coercive sterilisation was used to meet arbitrary targets. In urban centres like Delhi, slums were ruthlessly bulldozed, rendering thousands homeless with no concern for their welfare,” Tharoor wrote. “What began as an attempt to impose discipline and order eventually turned into cruelty and injustice.”
He cautioned that democracy is not a given but a legacy to be preserved through vigilance and commitment. “The Emergency should serve as a permanent reminder to people everywhere,” Tharoor noted, adding that although India has changed since 1975, the temptation to centralise power, silence dissent, and bypass institutions still exists in different forms.
“We are a more confident, developed, and in many ways stronger democracy today,” he said. “But the impulses that led to the Emergency can still find new expressions, often under the guise of national interest or stability.”
Tharoor’s remarks, though coming from within the Congress party, were viewed as a subtle critique of the past actions of his own leadership. By calling out the brutalities and undemocratic tendencies during the Emergency, he reinforced the need for introspection, accountability, and a renewed commitment to democratic values—not just within the Congress, but across the Indian political spectrum.
“The Emergency stands as a stark warning,” he concluded. “Those who guard democracy must never let their vigilance falter.”
Tharoor’s article comes at a time when the state of democracy and institutional independence in India continues to be hotly debated, and his words serve as a timely reminder of how history must inform present-day governance.
