Birla’s reference to Emergency sparks face-off with Opposition in Lok Sabha
Hindustan TimesLok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday condemned the imposition of Emergency in 1975 and described it as a “dark day in the history” of the country, setting off a political firestorm during the first session of the House as Congress members shouted slogans and termed the remarks “unfortunate”. Birla, who was re-elected as speaker earlier in the day, also said the country was subjected to dictatorship by former prime minister Indira Gandhi and its “democratic values were crushed and freedom of expression was stifled” during Emergency, and urged members to observe a two-minute silence in the House. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party members welcomed the speaker’s reference to Emergency, opposition members condemned the reference, prompting Birla to adjourn the House. Union home minister Amit Shah also hailed Birla for moving the resolution, saying it exposed the “anti-democratic” thinking of the Congress which harmed the major pillars of democracy such as the “judiciary, bureaucracy and media”.
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