Dehradun: A seminar was organized across the country on Emergency Day. A seminar was also organized on Emergency Day in Uttarakhand. In which many people including Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav were present. Emergency was discussed in this seminar. During the seminar, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also honored 10 democracy fighters including Narendra Kumar Mittal, Ranjit Singh Juyal.
During the program, the CM said that the period of Emergency will always be marked as a black chapter in Indian democratic history. This decision, as always, was the result of the dogmatism and dictatorial attitude of a family who considered the country as their fiefdom. During the Emergency, the Indian Parliament was held hostage, censorship was imposed on the freedom of the press. The dignity of the judiciary was torn to shreds and the fundamental rights of crores of countrymen were trampled upon.
The CM said that in those dark days of the Emergency, the then government, intoxicated with power, ruthlessly suppressed all opposition leaders, hundreds of journalists and every voice that was rising to protect democracy. The entire country was turned into an open prison by crushing freedom of expression.
The CM said, salute to the protectors of democracy, who made the dungeons of the prison their austerity ground. At that time, innumerable democracy fighters like Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan, Nanaji Deshmukh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, George Fernandes and Chandrashekhar worked to give direction to the movement against the dictatorial government’s decision to impose emergency. Even while being locked in the four walls of the prison, these leaders worked to awaken the consciousness of democracy among the youth.
The CM said that many such sons were born on the land of Uttarakhand, who played a leading role in that people’s revolution by showing their courage to protect democracy. Chandra Singh Rathore of Bageshwar, while being a teacher, worked to awaken faith in democracy among the students. For which he had to face many tortures. He even had to lose his job, which he could get back after 32 years of struggle. Govind Ram Dhingra of Pauri was also forcibly put in jail for having links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. There are hundreds of such examples in every district of Uttarakhand who made their important contribution to restore democracy. The CM said that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself was playing a leading role in the fight for democracy by staying underground during the Emergency. That is why he started celebrating June 25 as “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” to make the coming generations aware of the contribution of democracy fighters and the dark chapter of Emergency.
