Sunil Lohan
“The Fire of the Fight Against Emergency Still Burns in Our Hearts”.
The fire ignited by our elders in the fight against the Emergency still burns in their hearts.There have been attempts to snatch away their rights.
Freedom of expression is essential for the survival of democracy and to safeguard their rights and this state, there will be another struggle.Let them fulfill those duties, said former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai.
Speaking at an event organized by Citizens for Social Justice in Gadag on Friday,which unveiled untold stories from the dark days of the Emergency,he said,recently, chartered accountants and company secretaries came to invite him to a program.
They said, as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in power,India need not fear any other country.But now they are afraid of the Opposition in their own country.
Even when they invest and run businesses,there is fear of the Congress.They don’t engage in constructive politics; they indulge in destructive politics.The real challenge in this country is the Opposition.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid a strong foundation for unity and integrity for the development of this country. No one can shake it.
Democracy has grown stronger under Modi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee than during the Emergency. Even if Indira Gandhi were alive today,she wouldn’t have been able to impose an Emergency.The power of democracy is now greater.That’s why he said —do your duty with courage.
Bommai said they can’t even imagine the events that took place after the Emergency was imposed.Indira Gandhi had the illusion that she could hold the entire nation in her iron grip.
Coming from a family with a legacy of monarchy, she governed like a ruler. Nehru and Indira Gandhi believed they were born to rule.
They didn’t just want authoritarian power—they wanted permanent power. Her son Sanjay Gandhi went even further, exercising unconstitutional powers.
On the night the Emergency was imposed, Sanjay told Indira Gandhi, ‘If you want to continue as Prime Minister, you must declare Emergency, or else they’ll drive us out of this country.’
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, as President, gave his consent, and press freedom was curtailed.At that time, V.N. Subbarao w
as the chief reporter of Kannada Prabha, and Khadi Shamanna was the editor.
They contacted Goenka, who instructed them to go ahead and print the news. Just then, the censorship orders came. Today, those who roam with the Constitution in hand had jailed Khadi Shamanna.
Do You Support the Emergency?
The former CM said H.K. Patil is the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister now and he is from the very Gadag district, and they are proud of that. But he once described the Krishna River as crying tears—and it’s still crying.
He himself opposed giving land to Jindal, but now he has approved it. He recently wrote a letter opposing illegal mining.
“As the Law Minister, do you support the Emergency? Was it constitutional? Or was it imposed by manipulating the Constitution?.
You now claim the Emergency was declared under the provisions of press freedom and social justice. Parliament’s term was extended from five to six years—do you justify that?If you do, you should abandon the Constitution,” he said.
Dark Days
Bommai said in Hubballi, Ananth Kumar and he , who were classmates, protested against the Emergency. He was lathi-charged, and Ananth Kumar was arrested. They witnessed the dark days of the Emergency—no one was allowed to gather or even talk in groups. The entire country was silenced.
Thousands of people died, and no one dared ask why. Lalu Prasad Yadav named his daughter ‘Misa’ because she was born during the Emergency, and he had been imprisoned under the MISA Act.
Ironically, he now aligns with the same Congress. That’s the tragedy of this country. About 70% of those arrested under MISA were from the Jan Sangh. Out of the 66,000 people arrested, more than 40,000 belonged to the Jan Sangh.
Ban on RSS is Impossible
The BJP MP said they tried to ban the RSS back then. Nehru couldn’t do it, and neither could Indira Gandhi. Now Priyank Kharge says he will impose a ban.
But he won’t succeed in implementing his words. Because they know the truth—Congress will not return to power.
This country is growing socially and economically.That’s why Prime Minister Modi says:This is India’s era.This is the right time for India to rise and develop. Whatever seemed impossible, Modi has made possible. People once feared population growth.
The slogan was, ‘We two, ours two.’ But Modi turned population into an asset for the nation. He turned fear into opportunity.
He has eradicated poverty—25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty. Even international agencies have confirmed this. That’s why Modi is respected abroad. India was once known as a poor country. Not anymore—it’s now a strong nation.
“In all these efforts, democracy is vital. Managing a country with so many languages, cultures, and ideologies is not easy. It is possible only with divine blessing,” he added.
A Poverty-Stricken Govt
Bommai said Karnataka has the most poverty-stricken government.For the past one and a half years, there has been no compensation for flood damage. They can’t even provide shoes to schoolchildren.
Contract workers are not getting paid. NREGA workers have not been paid for six months. The funds provided by the Centre have been diverted for other purposes. This is a poor government.
People are fed up and saying their lives have not improved under this Chief Minister. There is only one solution—the Congress government must be removed. This government is trying to suppress democracy even at the doorstep.
If someone posts something on social media, they are arrested. If someone speaks out, they are jailed.No permission is given to protest against the government. But in a democracy,it is a constitutional right to raise your voice against the government.Dr.B.R.Ambedkar gave us that right.
“Not more than 25 people are allowed to gather. It’s a strange situation. If proper investigations are done, almost every minister would be found guilty.
PWD contractors say they are forced to pay 60% commission.Even KEB contractors say there’s corruption. Excise contractors complain of harassment. Our rights are being taken away.
Freedom of expression is crucial for the survival of democracy. The struggle our elders waged against the Emergency is our inspiration—they never backed down. People’s power has always triumphed over state power. Another struggle is inevitable.
The fire of that fight still burns within us. Let us fulfill our duties,” he noted.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Nargund MLA C.C. Patil, Shirahatti MLA Dr. Chandru Lamani, BJP District President Raju Kuradagi, State Emergency Committee Coordinator Mahendra Koutala, and former political detainee during the Emergency Krishnappa Hombali were present.
