Bengaluru, June 24 : BJP Central Parliamentary Board member and former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said on Tuesday that the Emergency declared by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 was a time when the sacred Constitution was sacrificed purely for the sake of retaining power.

He was speaking at an event titled '50 Years of the 1975 Emergency ' Dark Days,' organised at Town Hall in Bengaluru.

He stated that during the Emergency, people's fundamental rights were taken away. In the pursuit of absolute power, voices of freedom were suppressed, and press freedom, judicial independence, and civil rights were all trampled.

Yediyurappa said that the dictatorial rule driven by lust for power still evokes outrage to this day. 'The judiciary, executive, and legislature were all brought under a tight grip for the sole purpose of clinging to power,' he said.

'Freedom of speech and political liberty were crushed, the press was muzzled completely, and democracy was strangled. The Congress party, which had led the freedom struggle, did this to remain in power after Independence. Had this not been true, the Congress would not have imposed Emergency and strangled the ideals enshrined in the Constitution given to us by B.R. Ambedkar,' he added.

Noted columnist and economic thinker S. Gurumurthy, delivering the keynote speech, recalled that in 2024, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, began holding up the Constitution and claimed to be its protector. But, he pointed out, 'It seems he has no knowledge that it was his grandmother (late PM Indira Gandhi) who disregarded the very same Constitution during the Emergency.'

He questioned whether the Congress, which had imposed the Emergency, has any moral or legal right to speak about the Constitution, constitutional rights, or freedom.

He said June 25 is considered the 'day the Constitution was murdered.' It was not just an 18-month shock, but a period in which the Constitution was amended to pave the way for one family's 'authoritarian rule.'

He recalled how even ordinary citizens like Jayaprakash Narayan led fierce resistance against the Emergency.

Gurumurthy noted that the newly elected non-Congress political leaders failed to hold the Congress leaders responsible for the Emergency accountable. Subsequently, the Congress returned to power. Of the next 34 years, the leaders responsible for the Emergency ruled the country for 28 years and successfully erased the bitter memories of the Emergency from public consciousness.

He recalled how, later, late PM Rajiv Gandhi came to power with 415 MPs while the BJP had only two. "The BJP is dead; even carrying its body would require four people, but only two are present,' was the sarcastic remark made at the time.

He also 'remembered' that Rajiv Gandhi had said, if needed, he would not hesitate to impose the Emergency again.

The day was dedicated to reflecting on the dark 21 months of the Emergency and remembering its 'inhuman' incidents. A photo exhibition showcasing the role of RSS volunteers and workers from various parties during the resistance was also organised.

The audience raised slogans condemning the dark days of the Emergency.

/IANS