New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday recalled his experience at the time of Emergency and said that late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi put many of the leaders behind bars but she never abused them.


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RJD chief shared an article titled "The Sangh Silence in 1975' on his official social media handle X. The article referred to his experience at the time of Emergency.


"I was the convener of the steering committee that Jayaprakash Narayan--had constituted to carry forward the movement against the excesses of Emergency imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi. I was in jail under the Maintenance of Security Act (MISA) for over 15 months," he posted on X.


 



 


While sharing his Jail experience at the time of Emergency, Bihar's former CM further added that he didn't know the names of many BJP leaders who are currently under the BJP ministry.


"My colleagues and I did not know many of the BJP ministers speaking about the Emergency today. We hadn't heard of Modi, J P Nadda, and some of the PM's other ministerial colleagues who today lecture us on the value of freedom," the post read.


He further added that Indira Gandhi put us behind the bar but never abused or called up "anti-national" or "unpatriotic".


"Indira Gandhi put many of us behind bars, but she never abused us. Neither she nor her ministers called us "anti-national" or "unpatriotic". She never enabled vandals to defile the memory of Babasaheb Ambedkar--the architect of our Constitution. 1975 is a stain on our democracy but let's not forget who doesn't respect the Opposition in 2024," the RJD leader added.


Former PM Prime Minister imposed a 21-month state of emergency on June 25, 1975, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Emergency.


A few days back President Droupadi Murmu addressed the joint sitting of the Parliament criticised the imposition of Emergency and called it "biggest and darkest chapter."


"Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the Emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers", she said, ANI reported.


Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge counters this and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attempting to gain cheap applause by making the President deliver a speech filled with lies.


Kharge shared a post on X and wrote, "Modi Ji is trying to gain cheap applause by making the Honorable President speak lies, which the people of India have already rejected in the 2024 elections."