Interest of one family put ahead of nation’s interest: Jaishankar on Emergency

In a veiled attack on the Congress, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said Emergency happened because the interest of one family was placed above the interest of the nation.

He slammed the Congress for not apologizing even 50 years after it imposed the Emergency by “murdering” the Constitution.

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“I tell young people that the Emergency happened because the interest of a family was put ahead of the interest of the nation with a great sense of pride,” Jaishankar said at the sidelines of a Mock Parliament organised by Delhi BJP here to mark the dark chapter of Emergency.

“In contrast to the Emergency, today we are saying the interest of the nation should be put ahead of everything else,” he said.

Jaishankar also made an indirect attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that “Some people go around carrying a copy of the Constitution, but they have little respect for it in their hearts. Has the Congress ever apologized for the Emergency?”

“Holding a copy of the Constitution does not achieve anything. It should be in your heart and mind,” the External Affairs Minister said, in a veiled attack at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who often is seen displaying a pocket copy of the Constitution.

“We need to keep the youth informed about the dangers of Emergency — how democracy and the Constitution were murdered and how restrictions were imposed on media — and the implications of the dark phase on India’s image on the international stage,” Jaishankar said.

Referring to the recent diplomatic outreach in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Minister said he feels a great sense of pride when he sees non-BJP leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Jha and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi leading Parliamentary delegations to inform the world about the country’s firm stand against terror.

“I feel proud when I see a unity of delegations with all parties going out across the world and speaking in defence of our national interests, giving the message of zero-tolerance for terrorism,” he said.

Talking about the feedback he got from the delegates after the diplomatic outreach, the Minister said, “They said in every country the most impressive part found by the hosts was that all parties, including opposition parties, were part of it.”

June 25, 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency by the country’s first woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi. The Emergency, spanning from 1975 to 1977, was a period marked by suspension of civil liberties, censorship of press, and widespread persecution of political opponents under the leadership of Indira Gandhi.

Addressing the inaugural session of a Mock Parliament which was organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Jaishankar while remembering the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, said, “All this happened because of one family… There’s a movie titled ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, and these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like the Emergency take place.”

He recalled that during the Emergency, the Opposition side of the parliament was empty as leaders were jailed. He said during that time he was a 20 year-old student at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The External Affairs Minister further said the biggest lesson from the Emergency was to never take one’s freedom for granted.

“We observed the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. We are here participating in a mock parliament. During the Emergency, the Opposition side of the parliament was empty. Leaders were jailed. This will never happen. I want to tell you what the biggest lesson is from the Emergency: Never take your freedom for granted. I was 20 years old when the Emergency was imposed. I was in JNU,” Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister said the entire exercise of Emergency was to “break the morale of the country and the society”. He said the people who were not even in politics were impacted, whereas those who were in politics were well aware that doing politics meant an inevitable arrest.

“This entire exercise, in a way, was to break the morale of the country and the society… Many people, who were not even in politics, were impacted. Those who were in politics were well aware that doing politics meant an inevitable arrest, and those who were arrested were unaware if and when they would be released”, Jaishankar said.

The External Affairs Minister also recalled the period of the 1971 elections when the popularity of the government dropped drastically, corruption in the country had increased and the inflation was high.

“After winning the elections in 1971, within a few years, the popularity of the government had drastically dropped. Corruption had increased, inflation was very high, and the tide was not in their favour. People were angry. Agitations were going on in Gujarat and Bihar… People were raising questions on the business of the then ‘yuvraj’. Based on the verdict of the Allahabad High Court, the then Prime Minister was charged with two cases- corrupt practices and misuse of government machinery”, Jaishankar said.

The EAM said a total of 48 ordinances were passed during the Emergency period followed by five amendments. He mentioned that three amendments out of the five were very particular.

He noted that the 38th amendment was regarding the declaration of the Emergency, meanwhile, the 39th amendment was on challenging the election of the Prime Minister in court.

The 42nd Amendment focused on the dilution of fundamental rights and how the power of courts was curtailed.

“During the Emergency, 48 ordinances were passed. Just imagine – in two years, 48 ordinances and five amendments. Among these, three amendments were particularly significant. One was the 38th Amendment, which stated that you cannot challenge the declaration of Emergency in court.

“The 39th Amendment said that the Prime Minister’s election could not be challenged in court and the 42nd Amendment allowed the dilution of Fundamental Rights and curtailed the powers of the courts,” he said.