‘Severest challenge to our democratic existence posed by Emergency’: Former PM Deve Gowda

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Wednesday lauded Blue Kraft Digital Foundation’s efforts in chronicling the role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the period of Emergency imposed in the country in 1975.

In a foreword for the book ‘The Emergency Diaries – Years that Forged a Leader’, which delves into the compelling role that PM Modi played in the fight against the Emergency, Deve Gowda said, “The history of the Republic of India in its early decades is defined by its struggles to remain a democracy. The severest challenge to our democratic existence was posed by the imposition of the Emergency. It is important to ensure that the youth of India are aware of this part of our contemporary history.”

“It is important for the country to be fully aware of the dark days of the Emergency, and also the manner in which our Constitution was subverted by the political executive. I am happy that Blue Kraft Digital Foundation is making a laudable effort in this direction. I am happy they are chronicling the role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during that time,” the former PM said.

Deva Gowda said that the anti-Emergency movement, of which he was a part, brought together people across age groups and thought processes with one common objective – to protect our democratic fabric.

“To save our democracy and to save our Constitution was the only big aim of the movement that shaped spontaneously and organically. If it had not been done then, we would be in a very different India today. An India where we probably could not have existed,” Deve Gowda said.

Recalling his days during the Emergency, he said, “During the Emergency, I was a young non-Congress politician, but people like Narendra Modi were even younger. While we were in prison, people like him who were into social work built a formidable network of communication and resistance. For a young man like him to witness such a turbulent phase in our history, I am sure, was not just eye-opening and educative but also shaped his future and his politics.”

“As a leader of the Opposition in Karnataka, I suffered personally during the Emergency. I was arrested, but this arrest did not weaken me. It became a great opportunity to learn and come in contact with a diverse set of leaders from across India,” he said, stressing the role he played during the emergency as the leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka legislative assembly.

Remembering all the leaders who fought against the emergency, Deve Gowda said, “At this juncture, when we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, I am reminded of my mentors, colleagues and friends: Loknayak JP, Shri Morarjibhai Desai, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Biju Patnaik, George Fernandes, Madhu Dandavate, Chandra Shekhar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Shyam Nandan Mishra, Ramakrishna Hegde, JH Patel, M Chandrashekar, Nagappa Alva, S. Mallikarjunaiah, Rama Jois, P.G.R. Sindhia, A.K. Subbaiah, Lawrence Fernandes and many others. The list is long. The Emergency had a deep personal consequence for me. My imprisonment during the period deeply affected my parents, especially my father. He passed away in a short period in the grip of fear that I would never come out alive.”

“To keep the memories of the Emergency alive for our future generations is very important because it is they who are tasked with protecting our democracy and our Constitution. In this respect, I welcome the decision of the Union Government under Prime Minister Modi to mark 25th June every year as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas,” he said.

He further called upon scholars, academics, authors and journalists to make extensive efforts to chronicle the Emergency in its every detail and profile those who resisted it at small and big personal cost—after all, each one of them who fought the Emergency was a dedicated soldier of our nation and a torchbearer of our democracy.

The Emergency Diaries – Years that Forged a Leader book is based on first-person anecdotes from associates who worked with young Modi, and using other archival material, the book is a first of its kind that creates new scholarship on the formative years of a young man who would give it his all in the fight against tyranny.

Prime Minister took to X to write a series of posts.

“‘The Emergency Diaries’ chronicles my journey during the Emergency years. It brought back many memories from that time. I call upon all those who remember those dark days of the Emergency or those whose families suffered during that time to share their experiences on social media. It will create awareness among the youth of the shameful time from 1975 to 1977.” PM Modi posted on X.

He recalled how, for a young RSS Pracharak, the anti-Emergency movement was a learning experience. “It reaffirmed the vitality of preserving our democratic framework. At the same time, I got to learn so much from people across the political spectrum. I am glad that BlueKraft Digital

Foundation has compiled some of those experiences in the form of a book, whose foreword has been penned by Shri HD Deve Gowda Ji, himself a stalwart of the anti-Emergency movement,” PM Modi said. (ANI)