Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (File).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday fired emotional barbs at the opposition - which has often accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating an "undeclared emergency" - by revealing he had been barred from attending his mother's funeral while in prison during the Emergency.
Speaking exclusively to news agency ANI, Mr Singh lashed out at the opposition for making "allegations of dictatorship against us... (when they should) look within", and said he was only 24 years old - and had just been married - when the police arrived at his home late one night to take him into custody.
'"I returned home after working the whole day (and) was told the police had come. They told me there is a warrant... it was around midnight when I was taken to jail and kept in solitary confinement," he recounted.
A year later and Mr Singh was still in jail, and his mother "suffered a brain haemorrhage" after being told the Emergency had been extended by another year. "... she was in hospital for 27 days and then died."
"I could not go... did not get parole. I got my head shaved in the jail and the funeral was performed by my brothers," he added.
The Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress government has often been used by the party's critics, primarily the BJP, to launch political attacks.
In June last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 48th anniversary of that period, said the 21 months were an "unforgettable period" that was "totally opposite" to the Constitution.
"I pay homage to all those courageous people who resisted the Emergency... 'dark days of emergency' remain an unforgettable period in our history, totally opposite to the values our Constitution celebrates," the PM - who has been accused by the opposition of imposing an "undeclared emergency", said.
READ | "Unforgettable Period...": PM Modi On Emergency Anniversary
The year before that Mr Modi - then on a visit to Germany - addressed Indian diaspora and called the Emergency a "black spot on the vibrant history of India's democracy".
Ahead of this Lok Sabha election too the Prime Minister referred to the "dark days of Emergency", attacking the Congress for not having any faith in democracy any more.
At an election rally in Uttarakhand, Mr Modi said, "Prince of the royal Congress family (referring to Rahul Gandhi) said if the country elects Modi for a third time, it will go up in flames. Those who ruled the country for 60 years... are now talking about setting it on fire..."
Rajnath Singh's Warning For Pakistan
Mr Singh also repeated an offer of assistance to Pakistan - to combat terrorist activities on its soil. "If Pakistan feels incapable, India is ready to cooperate to stop terrorism," he said, and also warned Pakistan that if its aim is to destabilise India by using terrorism, it would have to suffer the consequences.
READ | "If Pakistan Feels Incapable...": Rajnath Singh's Offer In War On Terror
The firm remark came a week after he warned Pakistan India will pursue any terrorist who tries to escape by crossing the border. "If they run to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them," he had said.
That remark was in the context of a report by British daily The Guardian, which accused Delhi of conducting targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan.
The government has dismissed the claim as "false and malicious anti-India propaganda".
READ | "False, Malicious": Centre Blasts Report On Targeted Pak Assassinations
In its rebuttal, the External Affairs Ministry quoted its boss, S Jaishankar, who recently asserted that targeted killings on foreign soil is "not the Government of India's policy".
The ministry's denial was mentioned in The Guardian's report, which claims the Indian government "has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India".
The Guardian claimed up to 20 such killings were carried out since the attack on Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama in February 2019, in which 40 men were killed.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh's offer echoed those made in 2018 and 2019.
On that occasion the Defence Minister also warned Islamabad that a "situation will be created (if it did not act on its own) that terror bases will be wiped out from Pakistan and no power will be able to stop this".
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