Ramanath Rai defends imposition of Emergency saying it was required to save democracy

Former minister defends 1975 Emergency, praises Congress for land reforms, criticizes BJP, and supports Rahul Gandhi's statements on Hinduism.

Former minister B. Ramanath Rai on Thursday, July 18, defended the state of Emergency declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 saying the period saw the nationalisation of banks and bus routes and even the introduction of land reforms.

Criticising the BJP for assailing the Congress in an Emergency, Mr. Rai told reporters here that no one was affected at least in Dakshina Kannada district. Instead, thousands of landless farmers became owners of lands they were cultivating thanks to the land reforms, he noted.

The Emergency had to be imposed as there was a situation of revolt against the government by the bureaucracy and the armed forces. The drastic step was essential to save democracy, he said chiding the BJP for terming June 25, the day when emergency was imposed in 1975, as Samvidhan Hathya Divas.

Mr. Rai said the common man likes the Congress for these people-friendly measures of Late Ms. Gandhi. She also participated in the freedom struggle while her son Late Rajiv Gandhi laid the life for the Nation. Irrespective of all these sacrifices of the Gandhi family, the BJP was politicising the issue, he regretted.

There was nothing wrong in the satements of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Hinduism, Mr. Rai claimed and said he had only said there was no space for violence in the religion.

Karnataka Cashew Development Board Chairperson Mamatha Gatti, leaders Shashidhar Hegde, Naveen D’Souza and others were present.