Terming Emergency as a “black” period of Indian democracy, Naidu said that the new generation is required to be educated and sensitised about it in the interests of democracy and the country.
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Elections were held in the shadow of fear.
Advani further said, “Today, he is not with us but the way in which he devoted his entire life in the service of the nation, I can say that he was one of our great leaders who participated in our freedom struggle”.
“The media of this nation should not let overlook the times of Emergency as a result of it had attacked the liberty of media. Let’s talk about how the anti-emergency movement strengthened democracy”, Modi said. “Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan was at the forefront of defending civil liberties and democracy”. He was not restricted to one thought or ideology. Modi also lauded Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal calling him India’s Nelson Mandela for he had been jailed in free India for almost two decades due to political reasons.
16 persons will be honoured by the Prime Minister at the event being organised by Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan Jayanti Utsav Samiti in Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi. “He lived for the truth and what he felt was right”, the PM said.
Modi also made a courtesy call on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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Besides Advani and Badal, among others felicitated at the function were four Governors – Kalyan Singh, O P Kohli, Balram Dass Tandon and Valubhai Vala, former Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda, besides BJP leaders V K Malhotra, Jaywantiben Mehta and Subramanian Swamy, NCP leader D P Tripathi, Kameshwar Paswan and Arif Baig.
