In the ongoing political tug of war between BJP and Congress, Alok Sharma, the Congress spokesperson, justified the imposition of emergency and its atrocities. He made this shocking justification in a TV News debate show, Do Took, aired on DD News where Alok Sharma defended the emergency. Spokespersons of both the parties were accusing each other of being immoral and unethical. Congress spokesperson was lambasting the BJP government at the centre of misusing its power and influencing governor’s decision in its favour. When BJP senior leader Amitabh Sinha raised the issue of darkest chapter of Indian democracy that is era of emergency, Congress spokesperson said it was necessary to impose emergency in the country as few journalists were indulging in creating chaos and disorder in the country.
The then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, imposed emergency on the midnight of 25 June, 1975. Fundamental rights of citizens were suspended. Each and every voice of dissent and protest was brutally suppressed. All the constitutional bodies were forced to surrender before the government. Journalists were told to bend but they crawled and those who defied the diktat were imprisoned. Electricity supply to newspaper publishing houses was cut off. Opposition leaders were thrown behind the bars and tortured. Houses of people were demolished and forced sterilization campaign was carried out on the orders of Sanjay Gandhi. This period is considered as the darkest chapter of our democracy.
The Congress party is stooping to the extent of justifying emergency only just to slander BJP. BJP spokesperson was nonplussed after hearing this shameless defense of emergency and its brutalities. Amitabh Sinha told the news anchor, Ashok Srivastava, that it’s breaking news for him as Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi is justifying emergency and its cruelties’.
It all began when BJP Spokesperson, Amitabh Sinha, also a senior respected advocate at the Supreme Court, said that a party like Congress which has indulged in misusing of office and its power since Independence to every possible extent have no right whatsoever to point finger at BJP and accusing it of being morally corrupt. Amitabh Sinha cited many examples as well like he said that the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 with the help of her daughter Indira Gandhi broke the constitutional propriety and dismissed the duly elected government of Kerala. Indira Gandhi and Rajeev Gandhi took forward this unethical practice of dismissing constitutionally elected governments at will.
Congress has a history of indulging unethical, immoral and even unconstitutional acts. Indira Gandhi unethically dismissed nine state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to overcome Rajya Sabha obstacles during her reign.
In 1992, Congress dismissed four BJP governments in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Another example of unethical act of Congress includes dismissal of NTR government of Andhra Pradesh in 1984.
During the aforementioned debate, Alok Sharma interrupted Amitabh Sinha and made an absurd defence saying that the practice of dismissing constitutionally elected government was never repeated after SR Bommai case. To which Amitabh Sinha pointed out that it was all because of the impact of Supreme Court’s judgment and not because of the Congress’ soul-searching realization of its wrong-doings. It was because of the court’s landmark judgment that Congress stopped doing unethical practice of removing constitutionally and democratically elected state governments.
The debate was about the ongoing tussle between BJP and Congress-JD(S) in Karnataka after the assembly poll results. BJP emerged as the single largest party but fell short of 8 seats from the magical numbers. Congress struck a post-poll alliance with JD(S) and staked claim to form government. BJP also staked claim to form the government and the Governor invited the BJP to form the next government. Congress accused BJP of misusing governor’s office and influencing decision in its favor. Participants of the debates were senior BJP leader and senior advocate, Supreme Court, Amitabh Sinha, Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma, and senior journalist and well-known columnist Awadesh Kumar.