Dark days of Emergency can never be forgotten: PM Modi
New Delhi: On the 46th anniversary of the imposition of Emergency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said those "dark days" can never be forgotten and called for taking a pledge to strengthen India's democratic spirit and live up to the values enshrined in the Constitution.
"This is how Congress trampled over our democratic ethos. We remember all those greats who resisted the Emergency and protected Indian democracy," he tweeted, while sharing a link about several draconian measures taken by the then Congress government.
"The dark days of Emergency can never be forgotten. The period from 1975 to 1977 witnessed a systematic destruction of institutions.Let us pledge to do everything possible to strengthen India's democratic spirit, and live up to the values enshrined in our Constitution." he said.
Other senior BJP leaders also hit out at the Congress with Home Minister Amit Shah saying the Congress "murdered" democracy on this day in 1975 for its lust and arrogance of power.
Emergency was imposed to trample on voices that were raised against a family, he said, calling it a dark chapter in India's democracy.
BJP president J P Nadda paid tributes to those who fought against Emergency while suffering numerous atrocities.
The Emergency was imposed by then prime minister Indira Gandhi for a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977, when curbs were imposed on the fundamental rights of people.
Gandhi lifted Emergency in 1977 and called for Lok Sabha elections in which the Congress was handed a crushing defeat, its first ever since the country's Independence in 1947, by the combined opposition of Janata Party.
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We received request; will decide soon whether to support TVK: Thirumavalavan
Chennai (PTI): VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that his party received a request from TVK for support and the high-level committee of his party will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and emerged as the single largest party. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won.
Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.
"We received the request letter from TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," the VCK leader told reporters here.
With regard to the delay in the governor's call to the TVK, which is the single largest party, to form the government, Thirumavalavan requested the governor to invite Vijay to form the government. "It is a constitutional right and people's verdict," he added.
Asserting that the governor cannot say that Vijay should hold 118 MLAs' support now itself to form the government, he said that after taking over power, Vijay has to prove an absolute majority only on the floor of the Assembly.
