United in Opposition: Remembering India's Emergency Era

On June 25 each year, political leaders across spectrum gather to denounce the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the Congress, marking a period of curtailed freedoms in India.

BJP veteran Hriday Narain Dixit and Samajwadi Party's Mata Prasad Pandey, erstwhile political adversaries, reminisce about the grim days when democracy took a backseat. Emergency unites their voices against Congress, highlighting its impact on political detentions, including Dixit's own arrest.

Account of these events sheds light on forced sterilizations and imprisonment reshaping many lives, as seen through anecdotes of current survivors. Even within Congress, figures like Amir Haidar acknowledge discomfort with the decisions, while others, like Nirmal Khatri, attempt to justify the period's strictures.

(With inputs from agencies.)