'Forced, merciless': Shashi Tharoor recalls Emergency, says 'it stands as a strong warning'

Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has said that the Emergency period must not be remembered solely as a “dark chapter” in Indian history but as a moment whose lessons remain critical for safeguarding democracy.

Writing in a Malayalam-language opinion piece for the daily Deepika on Thursday, Tharoor, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee, offered a candid reflection on the Emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and drew attention to the “cruelty” that unfolded under the guise of order and discipline.

“Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns which became a notorious example of this,” he wrote. “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 Emergency, imposed from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977, is widely regarded as one of the most controversial periods in independent India’s political history, marked by mass arrests, press censorship, and the suspension of civil liberties.

Tharoor cautioned that the temptation to concentrate power, silence dissent, and bypass constitutional norms could resurface even in present-day India.

“Democracy is not something to be taken lightly; it is a precious legacy that must be constantly nurtured and preserved,” he said, adding, “Let it serve as a lasting reminder to people everywhere.”

While asserting that today’s India is vastly different from that of 1975, Tharoor noted that some troubling echoes of the Emergency continue to linger.

“We are a more self-confident, more developed, and in many ways a stronger democracy. Yet, the lessons of the Emergency remain relevant in troubling ways,” he wrote.

He emphasised that efforts to justify such authoritarian tendencies under the pretext of national interest or stability must be firmly resisted. “In this sense, the Emergency stands as a strong warning. The guardians of democracy must always remain vigilant,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)