This ‘undeclared emergency’ more dangerous than 1975 Emergency: Omar Abdullah

PTI, Apr 12, 2024, 6:57 PM IST

Credit: PTI

Srinagar: National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah Friday said there was an “undeclared emergency” in the country and it was in more danger than during the Emergency in 1975.

“The usual complaint is that what we are going through is a worse phase than the Emergency. The only difference is that (former prime minister) Indira Gandhi declared it an Emergency.

“Today, the situation is like an emergency, but, it is not called an emergency,” Abdullah told reporters here when asked to comment on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement on the issue.

The former J-K chief minister said democracy was in greater danger today than what it was during the Emergency in 1975.

“Tell me, how much of freedom do you enjoy to report the truth?… Today, democracy is in more danger compared to those times. Indira had the courage to hold elections then. She did not arrest anyone before the elections.

“Look at what is happening today. Wherever the BJP feels danger, candidates are arrested through some agencies. If this is not emergency, then release the opposition leaders and see whether the people support them or not,” he said.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s barb on dynastic politics directed at the NC, PDP and the Congress, the NC leader said, “He (PM) rakes these issues when he comes here. We wait for his programmes so that he says something new.”

Abdullah said Modi, who has been in power for the last 10 years, only talks about ‘parivarwad’. “The BJP is not opposed to families in politics. They are only opposed to those families who are opposed to the BJP,” he said.

“If you see the distribution of their mandates this time, almost one-fifth of it belongs to political families. The BJP has given tickets to the families of its leaders.

“If that ‘parivarwad’ is fine for the BJP, then why do they have an objection when it comes to us? It is only because we oppose them. We have been opposing them and we will continue to oppose them,” the NC vice president said.