Ram Madhav Takes Dig at Rahul Gandhi, Says Emergency Will Never Come Back

In an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Tuesday said leaders whose grandparents were responsible for imposing Emergency are trying to "misguide" people by saying a "mini emergency like situation" exists in the country today.

Addressing a virtual 'Yuva Jan Samvad' rally at Delhi BJP office here, Madhav asserted that Emergency will never come back in the country.

"Many intellectuals and political leaders are commenting that a 'mini emergency like situation' exists in the country. They are the people whose grandfathers and grandmothers were responsible for imposition of Emergency in 1975," he said.

"Your grandmother imposed Emergency. You would not know as you would be 5-6 years old at that time," the BJP leader said without naming anyone.

Madhav asserted that the nationalist forces, including the RSS and the Jan Sangh, strongly opposed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during Emergency despite suffering atrocities.

"Emergency was imposed in the country due to Indira Gandhi's greed for power and saw atrocities and repression, including ban on the press and curtailment of fundamental rights," he said. "There is no threat to democracy till the BJP is there and Emergency will never come back."

In a more direct attack on the Gandhi family, Madhav referring to atrocities during Emergency, allegedly by Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay, said "The Gandhis even today mean nothing , but they still tweet first after waking up in the morning."

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and her sister Priyanka Gandhi had been vocal critics of the Modi government over a range of issues. Rahul Gandhi had been slamming the BJP government at the Centre on Twitter for its handling of the COVID-19 situation and border standoff with China.

Madhav also hit at the Communists, saying they praised Indira Gandhi during the Emergency.

"At a time when the human rights were brutally repressed during Emergency in 1975, the Communists were eulogising Indira Gandhi while the only nationalists including the RSS and Jan Sangh were stoutly opposing her," he said. "Those talking about restrictions on media at present should also know that freedom of press was banned during the Emergency."

"Those who talk about restrictions on media should know that there was no liberty to even write editorials during the Emergency," he said.

Outfits like RSS and Jamaat-e-Islami were banned and their members were arrested during Emergency, Madhav said.