Mamata Banerjee and Emergency: When Mamata danced to Mrs Gandhi?s tune on the top of Jayaprakash Narayan’s car in support of Emergency!

Indians today, especially the people of West Bengal, have been witness to the dictatorial tendencies of Mamata Banerjee recently. From trying to stop opposition rallies during campaigning, to arresting people for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, people of West Bengal have been living under undeclared emergency under her rule. On one hand she talks of federalism and on the other hand does everything to undermine the central government projects and boycotts meetings called by the union government. During the Lok Sabha polls, Mamata cried about super emergency while at the same time tried everything to stop the rallies of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and even those of Congress leaders.

Accounts of the past indicate that Mamata’s dictatorial tendencies are not new. She has cultivated it over a period of time and it was during the draconian emergency that instead of opposing it she had not only supported it but also attempted to thwart the attempts of leaders like JP who were fighting against Indira Gandhi’s emergency.

Jayaprakash Narayan was one of the tall leaders who had opposed Indira Gandhi’s emergency. He organised a mass movement against the dictatorial regime and toured the country while organising protests at several places. The RSS had fully supported JP in his fight against emergency. Mamata Banerjee was then a student leader in the Congress and hence was in complete support of the emergency imposed on the country.

It was during one of his tours, JP had visited Kolkata to organise a protest against emergency. JP entered Kolkata with fellow leaders and was expected to address a huge gathering in the city. As his convoy entered the city, goons of the Congress blocked the way of JP’s convoy. Mamata Banerjee then threw herself on the ground in order to block his way. Few reports also suggest that she got on to the bonnet of JP’s car and even danced on it for sometime. It is these strong-arm tactics that Mamata Banerjee practices even today while attempting to muzzle any opposition.

Ironically, the same Mamata Banerjee had paid tribute to JP Narayan last year during his birth anniversary in Kolkata!

Mamata who today cries about undeclared emergency, had fully supported the real emergency imposed on the country by Indira Gandhi. Her attempt to stop someone like JP only shows how that she was never in support of democracy but supported fascism.

The hooliganism of the Congress has been imbibed by her TMC cadres. The way she tries to suppress anyone who opposes or questions her or mocks her in West Bengal shows that she has internalized the dictatorial tendencies of Indira Gandhi. It is the same fascism prevalent during Emergency of 1975-77 which she has almost institutionalized in West Bengal under her regime.