Hyderabad, July 2 (UNI) Union Minister Kishan Reddy on Wednesday said that the youth across the country should actively participate in politics.
Addressing a mock parliament session organised by Mahila Morcha Telangana state unit on the occasion of 50 years of Congress Emergency at KMIT here, Kishan Reddy said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is to introduce ethical and principled politics and that is why he has called upon one lakh young people nationwide to enter the political arena.
The youth participating in this mock parliament must strive to reach the level required to debate effectively in the actual Parliament in the future, he said. "The Indian Constitution is the best constitution in the world. In contrast, countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have faced internal crises due to military regimes suppressing democracy by violating their constitutions," he added.
"In India, we are successfully implementing the Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. However, it should be remembered that in 1975, during Indira Gandhi’s regime, the Constitution was set aside, civil rights were suppressed, press freedom was curtailed, and a state of emergency was imposed", he pointed out.
At that time, without any discussion in the cabinet, the President was forcibly made to sign the order at midnight, and by dawn, hundreds of thousands were arrested. Among those arrested were Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, V. Ramarao, Venkaiah Naidu, and Bandaru Dattatreya, he said.
This mock parliament is being held with the intention that today’s generation should understand the anti-democratic actions that took place during the Emergency, said Kishan Reddy .
During Indira Gandhi’s rule, when corruption and unemployment increased dramatically, Navnirman Committees were formed in Gujarat and Bihar. Students launched a massive movement against the Emergency, during which the police responded with baton charges, he said..
In the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, socialist leader Raj Narayan, who was defeated, filed a case in the Allahabad High Court against Indira Gandhi, accusing her of election malpractice and misuse of official machinery, supported by evidence.
After court proceedings, the court ruled that Indira Gandhi's election was invalid, he said.
In response, Indira Gandhi introduced a new ordinance and postponed the elections under the pretext of an internal national crisis. She further delayed elections that were supposed to be held every five years by an additional year and imposed a state of Emergency.
At that time, in Hyderabad city, many student union members, Jan Sangh activists, women's groups, youth organizations, reporters, and political leaders were subjected to baton charges and arrested under the MISA, he said.
The Indira Gandhi government trampled on the constitutional rights of citizens who asserted their right to speak out against the Emergency. Although the Emergency was lifted after the 1977 elections, only some of those arrested by then were released, he said.
Subsequently, under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, the Janata Party emerged to safeguard the nation's democracy. In that election, all the ministers of Indira Gandhi's government were defeated, and the Janata Party won through a silent revolution by the people, he said.
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