Indira's contribution cannot be written off because of Emergency move: Sena

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for raking up the Emergency, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said “contribution” of former premier Indira Gandhi for the country cannot be ignored just because of her 1975 decision.

He also said that Gandhi was “pro-democracy” as she called for elections in 1977 after lifting Emergency which she lost.

In his weekly column in party mouthpiece “Saamana”, Raut said it would be “treason” to reject the contribution of national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, BR Ambedkar, Netaji Bose and Veer Savarkar.

"Nobody else performed so greatly in this country like (late) Indira Gandhi did. Her one decision of Emergency cannot wash away her contribution.  It is a treason to reject the contribution of Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Dr Ambedkar, Netaji Bose and Veer Savarkar. Every government has to take some practical decision as per the situation. Who will decide what is wrong and right? Emergency ought to be forgotten," Raut said.

He said, "If the day when the Emergency was proclaimed by (then PM) India Gandhi is to be called 'Black Day', then there were many such 'black days' under the Central government. The day demonetisation was announced should also be called 'Black Day', as it created the economic anarchy". Raut said many poor people lost their jobs for some days due to the note ban under which bank notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations were banned from circulation in November 2016.

"Small traders incurred heavy losses. The cash with rich people turned 'white'. Prime Minister had claimed that the note ban will bring out the black money, however, instead of black money coming out many people died while standing in queues," he said.

Raut said the BJP government's promise that violence in Jammu and Kashmir would end has turned out to be hollow. "It was also said that violence in Kashmir will be ended. But, on the other hand, the violence in Kashmir has gone up. A bank, where BJP national president Amit Shah is one of the directors, received old notes of Rs 575 crore within five days from the announcement of the scrapping of the high value notes," the Rajya Sabha MP said. He said the economy has not yet been recovered fully from the demonetisation impact.

"The freedom of press was suppressed during the Emergency. Whatever is happening now a days is not different from the four-decade old emergency.