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From the “Dark” Past to the Bright Future: The Emergency (1975–1977) in Bharatiya Janata Party’s Political Rhetoric

From the “Dark” Past to the Bright Future: The Emergency (1975–1977) in Bharatiya Janata Party’s Political Rhetoric

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Received: 02/04/2024

Accepted: 05/30/2024

Keywords: India; Indira Gandhi; crisis of the 1970-s; the Emergency; Bharatiya Janata Party; propaganda

Available in the on-line version with: 18.09.2024

To cite this article

Tatiana D. Ikonnikova From the “Dark” Past to the Bright Future: The Emergency (1975–1977) in Bharatiya Janata Party’s Political Rhetoric. // Lomonosov Oriental Studies Journal. 2024. Vol. 68. N 2,68 p.15-28 https://doi.org/10.55959/MSU0320-8095-13-68-2-2.

Creative Commons Attribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
N 2, 2024
Tatiana D. Ikonnikova (Lomonosov Moscow State University)

Abstract

The Emergency declaration was a major landmark of the 1970s in India. The task of the regime introduced in 1975 by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) was to save democracy from anti-Indian elements and to pave the way for further structural changes and reforms. But on the contrary, it resulted in the total dissatisfaction with the extraconstitutional restrains and, as a result, sowed the seeds of disdain and distrust among the population of India. As images of a bright future started to fade away, the INC saw a significant decline which eventually resulted in the party’s defeat at the 1977 general elections and the transfer of power to the Janata Party. The article examines the Emergency (1975–1977) in the current political rhetoric of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. In BJP’s view, the emergency declaration and the formation of the first non-Congress government was the victory of democratic values over the “dictatorship” of Indira Gandhi, or the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The regime, which gained notoriety among the people of India due to the unpopular socio-political course and unbalanced economic regulations of the government, did not only become a symbol of restriction and deprivation: it also made the people question the very essence of India’s democracy and the legacy of its “Founding Fathers” among whom was Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964), the first prime minister of India. Although almost five decades have passed since the infamous 1975, the ghost of the Emergency still haunts the contemporary Indian society and dominates BJP’s political rhetoric.

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