Shashi Tharoor’s controversial article on ‘Emergency’ triggers political stir in Congress

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 10: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 as a “dark chapter” in India’s history and asserted that the people of the country responded clearly to the excesses of that period by voting her party out of power by a large margin.
In an article published in the Malayalam daily ‘Deepika’ on Thursday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) member also mentioned Indira Gandhi’s son Sanjay Gandhi’s notorious acts, including forced sterilisation campaigns and the merciless demolition of slums in New Delhi.
Recalling the dark era of the Emergency declared between June 25, 1975, and March 21, 1977, Tharoor said Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was seen as having endorsed harsh actions.“Some may argue that the Emergency brought about a temporary order and offered brief relief from the disorder of democratic politics. However, these violations were the result of unchecked power turning into authoritarianism. Whatever order may have emerged during the Emergency, it came at the cost of the soul of our Republic,” the Congress leader said.
He said the silencing of dissent, the curtailment of fundamental rights such as the freedom to assemble, write, and speak freely, and the blatant disregard for constitutional laws left an enduring scar on Indian politics.
Although the judiciary later tried to restore balance, the initial setback could not be forgotten, Tharoor said.“The excesses of that period caused deep and lasting damage to countless individuals. Among the affected communities, it left behind fear and mistrust. Following the Emergency, in the first free election held in March 1977, the people responded clearly-voting Indira Gandhi and her party out of power by a large margin,” the Congress MP said.In a veiled swipe at Tharoor following the article, Congress leader Manickam Tagore said when a colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, one begins to wonder whether “the bird is becoming a parrot”.Without naming anyone, Tagore, who is a Congress MP from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu and the party’s whip in the Lok Sabha, said on X, “When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder – is the Bird becoming a parrot? Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics.” Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi hit out at the opposition party over some Congress leaders’ criticism of their seasoned colleague Tharoor.Further commenting on the measures taken under Emergency, Tharoor said that efforts undertaken for discipline and order often turned into acts of cruelty that could not be justified.
“Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns, which became a notorious example of this. In poor rural areas, violence and coercion were used to meet arbitrary targets. In cities like New Delhi, slums were mercilessly demolished and cleared. Thousands of people were rendered homeless. Their welfare was not taken into consideration,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote.
Tharoor lamented that these actions were later portrayed with some dignity, despite being unfortunate excesses.Tharoor has been garnering attention for his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His comments have triggered strong reactions from his own party leaders.Last month, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a jibe at Tharoor and said his party believes in the “country first” mantra, but for some, it is “Modi first and country later”.Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach that are at variance with the stand of the Congress. (PTI)