50th Anniversary of Emergency: When Rahul Gandhi Admitted to Indira Gandhi’s Biggest Mistake, Castigated RSS

As India marks 50 years since the Emergency, Rahul Gandhi's earlier criticism of his grandmother's choice has gotten more notice. In an interview with economist Kaushik Basu in 2021, he said that the Emergency was "a mistake" and that Indira Gandhi had also said the same thing later in life.

But Gandhi said that things are "fundamentally different" now in 2025. He said that while the Emergency was a clear and limited abuse of power, the problems today are caused by groups like the RSS slowly taking over institutions with their ideas.

He said that democracy is being choked from the inside, outright, and called the current situation "invisible institutional capture."

The government made strong statements to mark the end of the emergency.

In honor of the event's 50th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Emergency was the darkest time in Indian democracy and that the Congress "put democracy under arrest."

But Union Home Minister Amit Shah went even further. He said that June 25 would now be celebrated every year as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas," which means "Constitution Murder Day."

Honors for people who fight emergencies

People who were jailed during the Emergency were honored at ceremonies held by all BJP units, especially in places like Nagpur. Over 450 people known as "Loktantra Senanis" are being recognized for their part in fighting against Indira Gandhi's strict rule.

A Look Back

What is the Shah Report?

 After the emergency, the Shah Commission showed that there were no real threats to security or the economy that supported the move. It was against the time when civil rights were taken away, people were sterilized against their will, and there was widespread control.

Rahul Gandhi's reference to the Emergency as a "mistake" shows that he wants to admit wrongs done in the past while also raising concerns about current threats to democracy.

Then and Now: A Call to Be Alert

Over one lakh people were arrested, the press was shut down, and people lost their civil rights during the 1975 Emergency. India's democracy came back to life in 1977, but Rahul Gandhi thinks that institutions are being broken down again, and this time, there are no official statements. On the 50th anniversary, he sent a message saying that India must remain alert to protect democracy from all kinds of dictatorship.