'Did not say anything against Gandhi family'; Shashi Tharoor responds to Emergency article controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor has shed clarity on his article criticising the Emergency. He clarified that he did not say anything about the Gandhi family. Tharoor told the media that the article mentioned some of the incidents that took place and some of the individuals involved in them. He clarified that he wrote the same thing in 1997 and this time too. Tharoor's response to the question about the survey controversy was to ask those who conducted the survey.

Shashi Tharoor wrote the article criticizing the Emergency and exposing the atrocities of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi, who seized power. This came after the controversy of the release of a survey report that showed Tharoor had more public support for the post of Chief Minister. Shashi Tharoor's article appeared in the media through an agency called Project Syndicate.

The article says that during the Emergency, the essence of the constitutional promises of liberty, equality and fraternity was put to the test. Constitutional abuses gave way to a horrific list of human rights violations. Torture in detention and extrajudicial killings were the dark realities for those who dared to defy the state. None of this was known at the time. Measures taken for discipline and order often turned into unspeakable atrocities. The forced sterilisation programs led by Sanjay Gandhi are an example of this. Slums were ruthlessly demolished in urban centres like New Delhi, leaving thousands homeless. Their welfare was not even considered. The article concludes by reminding us that the Emergency should not be seen as a dark chapter in India's history but should be learned from it.