Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a sharp attack on the Congress party during a press conference at the BJP office in Ranchi, marking the anniversary of the Emergency. He called the Emergency declared on June 25, 1975, by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi a “dark day” in India’s democratic history.
Indira Gandhi Betrayed Democracy, Says Singh
Giriraj Singh recalled that the Allahabad High Court convicted Indira Gandhi for electoral malpractice on June 12, 1975. Instead of resigning, she clung to power, and after failing to secure relief from the Supreme Court, declared Emergency through then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on June 25. The announcement was made via radio the following day.
Singh accused the Congress of unleashing a reign of terror during Emergency: lakhs were jailed, including women and government employees; over 25,000 officials were sacked; religious sites were demolished; forced sterilizations were conducted; and nearly 77,000 people were displaced in the name of religious site preservation. He said that while Rahul Gandhi speaks of democracy today, his party had once crushed it. “Congress should apologise to the nation on June 25 and 26,” Singh said, urging today’s generation to learn about the Emergency’s atrocities to protect democracy.
Sharp Criticism of Jharkhand Government
Turning to Jharkhand, Singh alleged that the state is sitting on a “powder keg” called ‘Jamai Tola’, claiming that Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators have been settled there as part of vote bank politics, threatening the demographic balance of tribal populations.
He accused the Hemant Soren-led government of eroding Jharkhand’s identity and called for what he termed a “third freedom struggle” to protect tribal leadership and rights. Singh demanded full implementation of the PESA Act in Jharkhand and restoration of forest, land, and mining rights to tribals. He claimed that Soren’s actions are worse than those taken during the Emergency and amount to an assault on Jharkhand’s cultural integrity.
