A generation of activists in their formative years faced Emergency onslaught head-on

When the Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, the CPI(M) leadership, at first, viewed it as a draconian measure to permanently enforce an authoritarian set-up.

- Prakash Karat

When the Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, the CPI(M) leadership, at first, viewed it as a draconian measure to permanently enforce an authoritarian set-up. It was felt that parliamentary democracy would remain truncated for a long period of time. However, after the first few weeks, it became clear that the Emergency was a maneuver resorted to by a beleaguered Indira Gandhi to outwit and thwart the opposition.

Soon after the big "Garibi Hatao" victory in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971, popular discontent grew due to the failure of the government to fulfill the promises made during the elections. The JP movement and the historic railway strike of 1974 marked the growing opposition. The Allahabad high court judgment disqualifying Indira Gandhi's election was the catalyst for this extraordinary anti-democratic step to somehow survive in power. This move for petty political gain could be fought by mobilizing the people in defense of democracy.