Christophe Jaffrelot on the Emergency and India 50 years later: State of Southasia #26
On 25 June this year, India marks 50 years since former prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in India. This was the third time that the emergency had been declared in India, but unlike the first two times which were in case of external threats due to wars with India’s neighbours, the 1975 Emergency was due to internal threats and resulted in the suspension of many constitutional rights and a crackdown on freedom of the press.
Gandhi justified the move by saying that India’s security and democracy were under threat due to a movement launched by Jayaprakash Narayan. Narayan was calling for a “total revolution” including Gandhi’s ouster from the post of prime minister. She also claimed the Emergency to be in the interest of the people of India as it would allow her to carry out programmes that would allow for rapid economic development and assistance to the underprivileged. She also claimed that foreign powers were trying to destabilise India.
Starting on the night of 25 June 1975, Gandhi’s government imprisoned hundreds of thousands of politicians and activists from the opposition during the Emergency. The press was severely censored. Power was centralised almost entirely in the hands of Gandhi and her son Sanjay. Sanjay’s more infamous programmes in that period were mass forced sterilisations and forced rehabilitation of slum dwellers.
In his comprehensive history and analysis of the Emergency, political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot calls the Emergency “India’s first experiment with authoritarianism”. In this episode of State of Southasia with Nayantara Narayanan, Jaffrelot delves into the complexity and contradictions of the Emergency, examines its legacy – how it changed the Congress party and India’s politics –, and draws out the parallels and differences with India under Narendra Modi.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple podcasts and YouTube.
State of Southasia releases a new interview every two weeks.
Episode notes:
Christophe Jaffrelot’s recommendations:
The Judgement: Inside story of the Emergency in India - Kuldip Nayar (non-fiction)
Shah Commission of Inquiry report
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry (fiction)
Unsettling Memories: Narratives of the Emergency in Delhi - Emma Tarlo (non-fiction)