At midnight on 25 June 1975, India – a young democracy and the world’s largest – froze.

Then prime minister Indira Gandhi had just declared a nationwide Emergency. Civil liberties were suspended, opposition leaders jailed, the press gagged and the constitution turned into a tool of absolute executive power.

In an interview with journalist Paul Saltzman in September 1975, Gandhi defended her decision to impose the Emergency, claiming it was necessary to safeguard the “country’s unity and integrity”.

“I have not taken any powers whatsoever. We are functioning absolutely within the constitution,” she said.

Watch an excerpt of the interview here.

#indiragandhi #indiragandhiinterview #indiragandhiemergency #indiragandhibbcinterview1975

Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3whmDp3
———————————–
This is the official BBC News India channel. If you want to understand and follow the India story, we hope this will be your home. Here, you’ll find stories that move your heart and explainers, interviews and documentaries on issues that you care about.
Don’t expect a 24/7 stream of news, we are not that channel. But you can look forward to top-quality BBC journalism that will help you make sense of what’s happening around you.
Do comment on our videos and posts because we will be reading them and taking them on board, and if you like what we do, you can also find us here
BBC Website 👉🏽https://bbc.in/3XjgjcP
Instagram 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3GNTSVW
Facebook 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3XgMc5M
Twitter 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3XlbAXZ

Thanks for following us!

#BBCNewsIndia #India