Sonia Gandhi reflected on the political turmoil of 1975‑77, describing how government offices and public transport were set ablaze and how widespread unrest pressured the central government to declare the Emergency.
She clarified that Sanjay Gandhi was not the sole architect of the measures, noting that senior colleagues, including Rajiv Gandhi, had urged Indira Gandhi to consider alternative approaches.
Indira Gandhi later called the March 1977 elections, publicly apologized, and admitted the excesses committed during the period.
The BJP has branded the Emergency a “murder of democracy,” while the Modi administration observes Samvidhan Hatya Diwas to mark the dark phase in Indian democracy.
In response, the Congress will issue a formal statement rebutting the BJP’s accusations in the coming days, asserting that the Emergency was taken within constitutional bounds.