BJP to organise mock parliaments to tell youth about Cong's 'great sin' of imposing Emergency

New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday said it will organise mock parliaments to apprise the country's youth of how the erstwhile Congress government committed a "great sin" by imposing Emergency in 1975 just to fulfil the political ambition of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, sacrificing the Constitution.
     On June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi announced the imposition of Emergency in a broadcast on All India Radio, shortly after the Supreme Court granted a conditional stay to an Allahabad High Court verdict declaring her election to the Lok Sabha as null and void.
     The 21 months of Emergency is known for forced mass sterlisations, censorship of the press, suspension of constitutional rights and centralisation of power.
     Calling it the "darkest period" of the Indian democratic history, BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the party will organise the mock parliament in a "democratic manner" to "educate" the country's youth on how the then Congress government had committed a "great sin" by imposing Emergency in the country.
     "Then prime minister Indira Gandhi sacrificed the Constitution just to serve her ambition," he said while replying to a media query on the issue.
     Patra said the mock parliament will be organised to apprise the country's youth of what people faced during the period of Emergency so that they understand the situation in the country.
     BJP sources indicated that the party will organise mock parliaments across the country around the anniversary of the Emergency.
     Last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the government's decision to observe June 25, the day on which the Emergency was declared in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' (Constitution Murder Day) to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured "inhuman pains" of the period.
     Hitting back at the Congress over its claim that India has suffered three "huge diplomatic setbacks" from the US with the failure of the Modi government's foreign policy, Patra said opposition party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh are always in a hurry to put India "in the dock" in the name of attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
     India is "highly placed" on the international platform, the BJP spokesperson asserted, adding that there is no need to take the Congress leaders seriously.
     "They did it with regard to the G7 (meeting) also. Now they are not able to understand where to hide their faces," Patra said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)