Bharatiya Vichara Kendra, the Kerala chapter of the Prajnapravah, organised a programme in Kochi on June 11, in connection with the completion of 50 years since the declaration of Emergency at midnight on 25 June 1975. The programme featured the personal recollections of three fighters who were at the forefront of the anti-Emergency agitation.
M. Rajasekhara Panicker, a former journalist with Indian Express and later New Indian Express, inaugurated the programme and shared his Emergency experiences. He stated that he had plunged into the anti-Emergency campaign while working for Indian Express. He quoted L.K. Advani’s famous remark: “When asked to bend, they (media) crawled”. Panicker said he was among the few media persons who took a stand against the Emergency and led a batch of satyagrahis when the Lok Sangharsh Samiti (LSS) called for a nationwide satyagraha demanding the revocation of Emergency. He was arrested, tortured in police custody, and later imprisoned under the Defence of India Rules (DIR). He remained in jail for over two months. As a result, he lost his job at Indian Express, which he regained after Indira Gandhi lifted the Emergency following her party’s resounding electoral defeat in March 1977. Panicker also recalled JP’s visit to the RSS Shiksha Varg in 1975 at Kozhikode, where JP stated in his address to the swayamsevaks that “if RSS is fascist, then I too am fascist”.
M. Mohanan, Managing Trustee of Lakshmibai Dharmaprakashan Trust and a former RSS Pracharak who held key organisational responsibilities during the Emergency, elaborated on the developments that led to the imposition of what he called a fascist Emergency. He narrated the students’ movements in Bihar, Gujarat and Delhi against the corrupt practices of the Indira regime, and the state governments under Abdul Gafoor in Bihar and Chimanbhai Patel in Gujarat. He also referred to the Pondicherry Licence Scandal in which signatures of 21 Members of Parliament were allegedly forged. Mohanan explained how Jayaprakash Narayan was persuaded by RSS leaders to take up the leadership of the anti-corruption movement, with JP agreeing on the condition of non-violence. He also spoke about the Allahabad High Court verdict in Raj Narain’s election petition against Indira Gandhi, which subsequently triggered the declaration of Emergency.
T. Satisan, former Sangh Pracharak and Senior Reporter (Kerala) for Organiser and Panchajanya, spoke on the “Samara Parva”, the saga of the anti-Emergency struggle, and shared his experiences. He narrated key events such as the declaration of Emergency, the three letters written by Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Deoras to swayamsevaks before his arrest on 30 June 1975, and how Sangh workers continued their daily gatherings under various guises such as Bhajan Mandalis and sports clubs. He detailed the formation of Lok Sangharsh Samitis in all states, the grooming of swayamsevaks for satyagraha with the clear message that they should not expect to return home, the brutal torture they endured, and the “Panchamukhi Programme” that the RSS implemented post-satyagraha.
Satisan also highlighted how the CPM stayed away from the anti-Emergency struggle. He cited statements by police officers during torture sessions, who said the CPM leaders were “clever and intelligent” and therefore abstained from the agitation. He recounted several incidents of CPM betrayal and explained how the police tried to inflame caste divisions by enquiring about the castes of the satyagrahis.
Dr Prof. C.M. Joy, Ernakulam district president of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram and a well-known environmental expert, chaired the session. P.S. Aravindakshan Nair, Ernakulam district secretary of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, welcomed the gathering. Dr D. Mavothi, former Director of the School of Management, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), was felicitated on the occasion. A brochure for the Three-Day National Seminar on Indian Psychology & Yoga, organised by the Pathanjali Yoga Training & Research Centre (PYTRC), was also released. Smita Polayil proposed the vote of thanks.
Role of #RSS during the dark period of 1975 #Emergency #Emergency1975 @RSSorg https://t.co/DZGtA0zvas
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) June 25, 2023
The Indian Emergency (1975–1977) was a 21-month period when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suspended civil liberties, censored the press, and arrested political opponents under laws like the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). Leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and L.K. Advani were jailed. It remains one of India’s darkest chapters in democratic history.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced that June 25 will be annually observed as “Constitution Murder Day” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, a period of severe civil liberties suppression imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.
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