In a move that could deepen the rift with the Congress party and high command, senior party leader Shashi Tharoor wrote a sharp commentary in the form of an article revisiting the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.
His article highlights the excesses and human rights abuses that marked the period and appears to take a veiled swipe at Congress leaders for downplaying its dark legacy.
Writing for the media non-profit Project Syndicate, Tharoor recounted how the Emergency remains etched in India’s collective memory even 50 years later.
He described the sweeping crackdown on civil liberties, the curtailment of press freedom, the Supreme Court’s controversial backing of the suspension of habeas corpus, and the persecution of journalists, activists and Opposition figures.
Tharoor’s piece goes a step further by drawing attention to the role of Sanjay Gandhi — Indira Gandhi’s younger son and Rahul Gandhi’s uncle — in the forced sterilisation drives and slum demolitions that targeted poor and rural communities.
He wrote that the “quest for discipline and order” often led to “unspeakable cruelty”, calling out the coercive sterilisation campaigns and ruthless urban clearances that left thousands homeless.
“These acts were later downplayed as unfortunate excesses,” Tharoor wrote, in a clear jibe at his party’s unease over confronting the legacy of the Emergency.
He also argued that the Emergency period exposed how fragile democratic institutions can be and also how easily they can be subverted when power is centralised and dissent is stifled.
Recalling his own experience, Tharoor noted he was in India when the Emergency was declared, but soon left for graduate studies in the United States. “At its onset, I was struck by the profound sense of disquiet. The vibrant cacophony of Indian public life... was replaced by an eerie silence,” he wrote.
Tharoor underlined how the trauma and mistrust in communities affected by the forced sterilisation campaigns played out at the ballot box, when voters ousted Indira Gandhi in 1977.
The 50th anniversary of the Emergency, he said, should serve as a moment for “historical reflection and introspection”.
He stressed that an independent press and a judiciary capable of standing up to executive overreach are fundamental pillars of democracy.
He also warned against the dangers posed by an overbearing executive backed by a compliant legislature — a message that resonates amid ongoing political debates about democratic backsliding.
Tharoor’s warning was clear: “The India of today is not the India of 1975. We are a more confident and robust democracy. Yet the lessons of the Emergency remain alarmingly relevant... The temptation to centralise power and silence critics can emerge in many forms, cloaked in the rhetoric of national interest or stability.”
In a direct challenge to complacency, he added, “Democracy cannot be taken for granted; it is a precious inheritance that must be constantly nurtured and fiercely defended.”
The timing of Tharoor’s remarks is significant. His relations with the Congress leadership have been strained in recent months, especially after his praise for the Modi government’s handling of Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack.
His comments were viewed as breaking ranks with the party line and drew a veiled rebuke from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who remarked, “We said the country comes first, party later. Some people feel ‘Modi first, country later’. What can we do?”
In response, Tharoor posted a cryptic message: “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one,” alongside a photograph of a bird in flight.
While Tharoor’s stance during the Operation Sindoor crisis won him praise across party lines, it also caused unease within Congress ranks.
The main Opposition party initially backed the government’s response to the Pahalgam attack but later demanded clarity on the ceasefire and questioned the role of the United States in the diplomatic outcome.
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