BJP’s online poll backfires: Majority say Congress won’t reimpose emergency if voted back to power
New Delhi: An online poll conducted by the BJP on its official X handle (@BJP4India) appears to have backfired, with over 70% of respondents rejecting the idea that the Congress would reimpose Emergency if it returned to power. The poll, launched on June 25 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, aimed to stir public memory about the suspension of democratic rights in 1975.
The BJP, which frequently invokes the Emergency to target the Congress, might not have anticipated the outcome of its own poll. By Thursday afternoon, more than 23,000 people had voted, with 70.9% saying No, and only 29.1% agreeing that Congress would bring back Emergency.
The result raised eyebrows, especially considering the poll came from the verified handle of the BJP, which has a follower base of 23.2 million. Critics pointed to this as a rare moment of the ruling party's formidable IT cell appearing to be caught napping.
Beneath the poll, users flooded the replies with posts juxtaposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure with headlines on alleged threats to democracy, ranging from suppression of dissent, misuse of central agencies, media censorship, hate speech, and violence against marginalised communities.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking at a press conference the same day, termed the BJP’s “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” campaign an attempt to distract from the “real Emergency” in the country, marked by rising authoritarianism, curbs on press freedom, and institutional erosion.
Later in the day, the Union Cabinet passed a resolution commemorating June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, stating that 50 years ago, India's democratic values were "subverted," and that the Emergency was a dark chapter where “federalism was undermined and fundamental rights suspended.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who first proposed observing June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas in 2024, spoke at an event in Delhi marking the day. He hailed Modi’s role in the anti-Emergency movement, describing how the young activist went underground, adopting various disguises including a sadhu and a newspaper vendor.
“Divine justice has taken place,” Shah said. “The same young man who fought Indira Gandhi’s dictatorship brought an end to dynastic politics in 2014.”
However, online reactions to the BJP's commemorative efforts were mixed, with many using the platform to highlight what they described as the current government's own failings in upholding democratic values.
While online polls are unofficial and often vulnerable to manipulation by bots or campaigners with pre-set agendas, the overwhelming response in this case suggests the BJP’s narrative may not be resonating as intended, at least not in the digital public square.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jai Bhim: Slogan that energised Dalits was first given at this central Maharashtra village
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.
The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.
Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.
Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.
"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.
"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.
As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.
The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.
"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.
"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.
_vb_69.jpeg)