New Delhi, November 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s description of the 1975-77 Emergency as a “mistake” has triggered political reactions, with Union Ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Ramdas Athawale weighing in on the Congress leadership’s acknowledgement of the controversial period.
Sonia Gandhi made the remark in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, ahead of the release of her forthcoming book. Her comments have brought renewed attention to the period when civil liberties were curtailed and Opposition leaders were detained.
Reacting to the interview, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said Sonia Gandhi’s book could bring several lesser-known aspects of India’s political history into public discussion.
He said the Emergency remained a sensitive chapter and recalled the arrests of thousands of people, suspension of civil rights and alleged torture of prominent political leaders.
The JD(U) leader also claimed that the decision to impose the Emergency did not have consensus even within the Gandhi family, but then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went ahead with it.
He said Sonia Gandhi should now work towards strengthening democracy, describing it as a way of making amends for the Congress party’s past actions.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said Sonia Gandhi’s acknowledgement that the Emergency was a wrong decision was significant.
Athawale observed that the period had undermined democracy and led to the arrest and imprisonment of many people. However, he questioned whether Indira Gandhi herself had ever publicly admitted that imposing the Emergency was a mistake.
The Emergency was imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, and remained in force until March 21, 1977. The period was marked by restrictions on civil liberties, press censorship and the detention of several Opposition leaders.
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