THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
As the country marked the anniversary of the 1975 Emergency, the BJP Goa launched a scathing attack on the Congress, calling it a period that crushed the very foundations of Indian democracy.
“Emergency was a dark chapter in our nation’s history when the four pillars of democracy were crushed,” BJP national general secretary Arun Singh said while addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters in Panaji on Wednesday.
He recalled that emergency was declared at midnight and it brought censorship. "There was fear everywhere. Editors needed police clearance to publish, criticism of the government was banned and journalists were jailed. Newspapers went blank. Congress must apologise for this," he said.
Echoing the sentiment, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that Emergency period as a time when “democracy was replaced with dictatorship”.
He also took the opportunity to contrast the BJP-led Centre’s governance, highlighting the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir as a landmark achievement.
“I am proud to say that the BJP government abolished Article 370. I urge Congress leaders to come forward and speak openly about the ‘good things’ they claim happened during the Emergency,” he added.
Sawant also spoke on the importance of educating students about the Emergency and its impact on the country’s constitutional framework.
“Today’s children need to know how, when, and by whom the Constitution was assassinated. To prevent such a thing from happening again, all the information about the Emergency and the Constitution Day should be included in the college curriculum,” he said.
