Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 24: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to observe June 26 as “Save Democracy day” as on this day 41 years ago, the then Congress Government had clamped emergency to gauge the freedom of expression, snatching fundamental rights and civil liberty of the people and the country.
This was announced by BJP Senior leader Adv. Chander Mohan Sharma, while talking to media persons at Trikuta Nagar office today.
He said the Union Minister of State in PMO with independent Charge of North Eastern States and Youth Service and Sports, Dr Jitendra Singh will be the chief guest during the function.
Dr Jitendra Singh has been deputed by Party High Command to be the main speaker on the occasion and highlight the objective of Save Democracy and Anti Emergency Day. A letter in this regard was issued by M Venkaiah Naidu Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and former BJP national chief who is incharge of the programme all over the country.
As per the letter the programme will be held at 24 places all over the country and BJP national president Amit Shah will be the chief guest during the programme at Delhi while Union Home Minister and former BJP chief Raj Nath Singh will be the chief guest during the party programme at Ranchi, M Venkaiah Naidu who is also the former president of the party will preside the function at Bangalore, Union Minister of Telecommunication Ravi Shanker Prasad will be the chief guest at Raipur and Defence Minister Manohar Parikar will be the chief guest at Cuttack.
Mr Naidu in his letter dispatched to Party leaders said that 21-month period of dictatorship marked by absolute tyranny and authoritarianism of worst kind, imposed on the nation by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was one of the darkest periods of Indian political history. On the mid night of June 25 , 1975 , emergency was proclaimed to satisfy ones personnel lust for power, it added.
It said the frightened 21 months that followed witnessed the dark period of Indian democracy and Indian people will never forget and forgive it. So Party has decided that on June 26 hall-meetings and gatherings will be held across the country.
Sharma said that many leaders like Jai Parkash Naryan, Atal Behari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, Narender Modi and other National leaders across the country were detained under MISA and other draconian laws. Total censorship was imposed and trouble sterilization and other such human measure were unleashed on the country men.
He said in J&K also the leaders and local activists and trade unionists were thrown behind the bars and tortured. Besides, injuries were inflected on the innocent people.
He called upon all those victims of emergency who were jailed and worked under for restoration of democracy to join the programme on June 26 at 11:00 a.m. at Dr. Shyama Prashad Mookherjee Bhawan, Sector-3, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. He requested them to register themselves through Phone No. 9419188088, 9419143252, 8803171070, 9622170211.
Surinder Sharma, Subash Gupta, Opinder Bhat and Subash Jandial were also present in the press conference.
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