Massive Opposition protest after Chair’s Emergency rap

NEW DELHI: Soon after his election as Speaker, Om Birla on Wednesday sparked a row by reading out a resolution condemning the imposition of Emergency as an attack on the Constitution by former prime minister Indira Gandhi, triggering massive protests by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

“This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. We appreciate the determination of all those who opposed Emergency, fought and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting democracy. 25th June 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India,” he said. The House was adjourned after chaotic scenes of protests and sloganeering by the Opposition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the Speaker’s reference to Emergency. “The happenings during the Emergency exemplified what a dictatorship looks like,” Modi said.

For his part, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “What we saw was the Speaker unfortunately raising a matter that had not been discussed in the House and in a manner that came across as confrontational.”

Sharp statement

“The nation turned into a prison… Emergency brought with it anti-social and dictatorial policies that destroyed the lives of the poor, the Dalits and the deprived,” Speaker Om Birla said