Release of Dr. A Surya Prakash’s Book titled ‘The Emergency: Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour’, at the Vivekananda International Foundation, 25 Jun 2018

Welcome Remarks by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director

Hon’ble Vice President of India Sh M Venkaiah Naidu, Dr. A Surya Prakash, Chairman Prasar Bharti, Shri Mehul Gandhi, Publisher and MD,
Meghnirghosh Media, Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Hon’ble Sh Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, to the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) today. Sir, we are honoured by your presence at the VIF as the chief guest for the release of the translations of Dr. Surya Prakash’s celebrated book, The Emergency: Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour. The book was published last year in the English language. Today, it is being released in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Gujrati.

Sh DP Tripathi, General Secretary, Chief Spokesperson, Nationalist Congress Party of India was expected to be here. Due to a bereavement in his family, he could not present today. We will miss him today.

The VIF is a non-partisan, independent research organisation which focuses on issues of national interest. Since inception in 2009, the VIF has done and published serious research on the issues of international relations and foreign policy, national security, governance, economics, technology, history and civilisation. In our work, we are guided by Swami Vivekananda’s message of “harmony in diversity”, and his unshakable belief in India’s destiny, values and greatness. He was a firm believer in India’s status as a ‘Vishwa Guru’.

On 25 June 1975, an insecure Mrs Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, following the anmulment of her election by the Allahabad High Court, declared National Emergency in the country under Article 352 essentially for political reasons. This was indeed the darkest hour in the history of democratic India. The fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to life under Article 21, were suspended. Many political personalities, as well as innocent individuals, were jailed. The hon’ble Vice President, who was then a student in Andhra University, was also incarcerated during the Emergency for having invited Sh Jai Prakash Narayan to address the students.

A range of oppressive measures including arbitrary arrests and curbing citizen’s rights and freedoms followed. Regrettably, the pillars of our democracy, enshrined in our constitution, namely, the legislature, the judiciary, the executive and media all came under severe attack. A sense of fear pervaded the country. Innocent, ordinary citizens suffered in the misplaced drives for forcible sterilizations and ‘beautification’.
The experience of Emergency has taught India many lessons. How did India come to such pass that a Prime Minister could turn into a dictator overnight? How could the pillars of our democracy by manipulated so easily? Why did the checks and balances in the system not work? These questions are relevant even today.

Dr. Surya Prakash, the noted author and commentator on the issues of democracy and governance, has in his book, provided a vivid account of what happened during the Emergency. He explains the reasons why the Emergency was declared, censorship was imposed, and fundamental right of the citizens were suspended. The book provides a glimpse into the mindset of the principal actors of the emergency drama. He also talks about the heroes of Emergency, the likes of JP Narayan, Justice HR Khanna and Ramnath Goenka. He gives a vivid account of the repression during the Emergency years of 1975-77.

Dr. Surya Prakash’s book is a stark reminder that institutions of democracy and democratic values should be strengthened. This is a continuous task. We should never allow our Constitution to be subverted by anyone on any pretext. I quote from the Hon’ble Vice President’s article today in the Indian Express, “An important lesson taught by Emergency is that the people of India, although peace loving, will never tolerate authoritarianism… Freedom is the lifeline of the democracy and any stifling will sound the death knell of the rights guaranteed under the constitution”

Dr. Prakash’s book is also an education for the new generation which has not seen the Emergency and which takes its rights and freedoms for granted. It will inform them how priceless is democracy why it needs to be cherished, nurtured and protected.
I invite Dr. Surya Prakash to say a few words.