By Ila Garg

Imposed on June 26, 1975, the Emergency was perhaps the darkest hour in the history of the Indian democracy. The initial days of the period were marked by utter chaos. Some people were slaughtered while many families were separated. Several people disguised themselves to ensure safety. Among them were some popular faces too, like that of Narendra Modi and Subramanian Swamy. But why were they seen in the Sikh attire during the emergency in India is a major question!

Indira Gandhi, instead of taking responsibility of the prevailing corruption, chose to use her power to subvert law and brought India under a state of emergency. For 21 months, the country was pushed through a dark tunnel and rebels were captured in an instant. It was a sheer abuse of the power that Mrs. Gandhi demonstrated, bringing everything under the state censor.

Freedom, which India had attained after a long struggle, ceased momentarily. Even the press was censored. All news articles needed government approval to get published. People were arrested on a large scale to avoid as many protests as possible. Jai Prakash, Morariji, L.K. Advani, Asoka Mehta, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were among the first ones to be arrested. Even the royalty was not spared. Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and Maharani Gayatri Devi were also arrested with immediate effect.

In such a situation, where no one was safe, how could Narendra Modi and Subramanian Swamy feel otherwise! So for a long time, they both disguised their real identity.